介绍:
柯长霖：
Westminster attacker acted alone and motive may never be known, say police
Police investigating the Westminster attack have concluded that Khalid Masood acted entirely alone for reasons that may never be known.
In the most detailed breakdown yet of events on Westminster Bridge and parliament on Wednesday, police said that the entire attack, in which Masood had killed four people before being shot dead, lasted a mere 82 seconds.
After four days of intensive inquiries across England and Wales, involving hundreds of officers, the Metropolitan police said they had so far failed to establish the reason for the attack. It is continuing to look at whether Masood was prompted by online propaganda by Islamic State, which has claimed he was a “soldier”, or whether he had some other sense of grievance.
But deputy assistant Metropolitan police commissioner Neil Basu said: “We still believe that Masood acted alone on the day and there is no information or intelligence to suggest there are further attacks planned.”
The security services do not like the term “lone wolf”, feeling that it glamorises an attacker, and instead prefer “lone actor”. Although 11 people were arrested in the aftermath of the attack, eight have since been released, with no further action to be taken. A 58-year-old man remained in custody on Saturday and two more have been released on bail.
Police are investigating media reports that Masood checked his encrypted messaging service WhatsApp – or even sent a message – just before the attack, which hinted at others being involved. The police statement confirming that he was a lone actor does not appear to support suggestions that he had been in touch with an accomplice.
Basu, who is the senior national coordinator for UK counter-terrorism policing, said: “Even if he acted alone in the preparation, we need to establish with absolute clarity why he did these unspeakable acts to bring reassurance to Londoners, and to provide answers and closure for the families of those killed and the victims and survivors of this atrocity.
“We must all accept that there is a possibility we will never understand why he did this. That understanding may have died with him.”
The police, having reconstructed the attack, said it had begun at 14:40:08 when Masood’s hire car mounted the pavement on Westminster Bridge, weaving along the footpath and road until 14:40:38 when he crashed into the perimeter fence of the Palace of Westminster.
He left the car at 14:40:51 and was shot by a police firearms officer, part of the close protection team of the defence secretary Sir Michael Fallon, in the palace courtyard at 14:41:30.
At 14:40:59, the first 999 call was made to the Met reporting the incident.
Basu said the investigation was continuing and appealed for anyone who had spoken to Masood in recent months, especially in the days leading up to the attack, to contact the police. They are still trying to establish whether he had been “inspired by terrorist propaganda or if others have encouraged, supported or directed him. If the latter proves to be the case, they will face justice.”
He praised the way London and communities throughout the rest of the country had come together and that there had been no backlash.
“The way that communities in London, and throughout the UK, have come together in the wake of this attack shows that we will not give in to those who seek to breed discord and fear,” Basu said.
“Terrorists have tried to tear this city apart before and they have never succeeded. A very small minority of people have tried to use this as an opportunity to stir up hate, but once again we stand together in calm defiance. We will not allow them to divide us.”
Two men, one aged 58, and the other 27, both arrested in Birmingham, are being held under the Terrorism Act. Two women have been released on bail, a 32-year-old arrested in Manchester and a 39-year-old from London.
As the police and security services piece together Masood’s background, the Saudi Arabian government confirmed that he had worked in the country as an English teacher between 2005 and 2009. It is common for converts to Islam such as Masood to seek work in Saudi Arabia.
胡晨璇：
Paper machines get mixed reviews
"Let me try," a short, middle-aged woman said as she moved in front of one of the face-recognition toilet paper dispensers that have been installed in restrooms at Beijing's Temple of Heaven Park.
She removed her hat and glasses, and stared straight into the camera. A group of amused fellow tourists looked on, keen to see the new high-tech machines in action.
However, nothing happened.
"Try standing further back," came a voice from in the crowd. "Make sure you're standing in the yellow area marked on the floor."
The 62-year-old woman, surnamed Wang, readjusted her position and, after several seconds, was rewarded with a 60-centimeter strip of crisp, white toilet paper. If she wanted more, she was going to have to wait nine minutes to start the process all over again.
"If I were in a rush, it would be inconvenient," Wang said.
The Temple of Heaven Park, one of the capital's major tourist attractions, was not swarmed with visitors on Tuesday afternoon, but many of those who were there made a beeline for the bathrooms.
Managers of the venue have said the dispensers, which have so far been installed in three restrooms on a trial basis, are designed to prevent an age-old issue of people stealing or wasting toilet paper.
However, some people have questioned whether such a high-tech solution sacrifices convenience, as patrons now need to wait for paper before they can relieve themselves.
Shortly after Wang had finished, a mother visited the same restroom with her young daughter. She walked straight past the machine and into a cubicle.
"I have everything I need in my bag, so I don't need to bother with the dispenser," she said after re-emerging, adding that the machines are not convenient for parents, particularly those with small children.
Given that the screen is placed at about average height for an adult, it is also unlikely to be of use for wheelchair users. Meanwhile, twins could have a problem, too, if they both need to use the restroom at the same time.
A worker who helped install the dispensers said the management plans to adjust their locations because the long lines of people waiting for toilet paper have been blocking entrances to the venue.
However, some people are happy to put up with a little inconvenience if it puts a stop to thieves.
"Since the new machines have been installed, many of the thieves have disappeared," said a middle-aged man waiting outside a restroom. "I think it's good to teach them a lesson."
鲍俞哲：
Five dead, around 40 injured in UK parliament 'terrorist' attack
Five people died, including a police officer and the suspected attacker, and 40 others were injured near the British Parliament buildings on Wednesday afternoon, in what London police described as a "terrorist incident".
A man driving a sports utility vehicle was believed to have run over pedestrians on Westminster Bridge at around 2.40 pm local time.
The driver then apparently crashed into railings, got out of the car and attacked a policeman with a knife near the Palace Yard entrance to the House of Commons, before being shot. The policeman later died, according to media reports.
Officials confirmed that a woman was rescued from the River Thames after she apparently jumped from Westminster Bridge to escape the assailants' car.
There were some unconfirmed reports that police were hunting for a second man who may have accompanied the assailant in the vehicle. The assailant was given first aid and carried conscious to an ambulance.
Colleen Anderson, a doctor from St Thomas' Hospital, where the victims were being treated, confirmed that a female pedestrian had died after falling under the wheels of a bus. She told reporters: "I confirmed one fatality. A woman. She was under the wheel of a bus. She died. I confirmed her death at the scene."
She added: "There were people across the bridge. There were some with minor injuries, some catastrophic. Some had injuries they could walk away from or who have life-changing injuries. There were maybe a dozen people injured."
Radosław Sikorski, a Polish politician, said he saw four people on the ground on the bridge.
"I didn't see a car, but I heard what I thought was a collision," he said. "I looked through the window of the taxi and I saw someone down, obviously in great distress."
Amine Morada, from Algeria, was in Parliament Square when the incident happened.
"I heard a loud bang, bang. I looked around and saw a man on the ground, with blood coming out of his head. He was white with black hair and was wearing a backpack. People were screaming. It was chaos. I saw a crashed car and two people were slumped on it. It had smoke coming out of it and water coming out the bottom. I thought it was an accident."
Theresa May, the British Prime Minister, was escorted from the House of Commons by armed police minutes after the incident. Police also shut the gates of nearby Buckingham Palace, where Queen Elizabeth was in residence.
May was scheduled to chair a meeting of the government emergency committee, also known as known as COBRA, to discuss the response to the incident.
COBRA coordinates the high-level response to serious incidents. It brings together government ministers with senior officials of the emergency services and security and intelligence agencies.
The sitting of the House of Commons was suspended and MPs were told to stay in the chamber. All other government buildings were placed under "lock down". Police evacuated the House and other nearby buildings.
The Scottish Parliament in Edinburgh also suspended its debate on a second referendum being held on Scottish independence.
As of press time, there was no report of Chinese nationals injured in the incident. The Chinese embassy in the United Kingdom issued an alert to Chinese nationals visiting or staying in the UK, calling for their raised vigilance and safety awareness, and urging them to avoid crowded areas.
