Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques King Salman sent a cable of condolences to British Prime Minister Theresa May expressing heartfelt condolences for the victims of a terrorist attack outside British parliament. [caption id="attachment_128798" align="alignright" width="181"] The Union flag flies at half staff on Thursday outside the Houses of Parliament following Wednesday's attack in London. — AP[/caption] "We have received the news of the terrorist attack outside British parliament which resulted in deaths and injuries. As we strongly condemn this terrorist act, we — on behalf of the people and the government of Saudi Arabia — offer our deepest condolences to Your Excellency, the families of the victims and friendly British people. We reiterate the firm position of the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia on rejecting such terrorist acts in all their forms and manifestations, re-emphasizing the importance of international efforts to confront and eradicate the menace of terrorism," the King said in the cable. Similar cables of condolences were sent by Crown Prince Muhammad Bin Naif, deputy premier and minister of interior, and Deputy Crown Prince Muhammad Bin Salman, second deputy premier and minister of defense. The Organization of Islamic Cooperation (OIC) and the Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) also condemned the Wednesday attack in which four people, including the attacker, were killed and 40 others were injured. The attacker sped across Westminster Bridge in a car, ploughing into pedestrians along the way, then ran through the gates of the nearby parliament building and stabbed a policeman before being shot dead. In London, Britain's most senior counter-terrorism officer said on Thursday that police arrested eight people. Mark Rowley said 29 people still being treated in hospital, seven of whom were in a critical condition. He said police had raided six houses in London, the central city of Birmingham and elsewhere. Queen Elizabeth II voiced her "deepest sympathy" with everyone affected by the terror attack, condemning it as an act of "awful violence". "My thoughts, prayers and deepest sympathy are with all those who have been affected by yesterday's awful violence," she said in a message to the police in her first reaction since Wednesday's attack. Prime Minister Theresa May said on Thursday that the man behind the London terror attack was born in Britain and had been investigated for violent extremism "some years ago" by the MI5 intelligence service. She said people from 11 countries were hospitalized after the attack. May said that 12 Britons, three French, two Romanians, four South Koreans, one German, one Pole, one Irish, one Chinese, one Italian, one American and two Greeks required hospital treatment. One of those killed was Aysha Frade, who worked in the administration team at a school a few hundred meters away. Britain's parliament reopened Thursday with a minute's silence in memory of three people killed. "We are not afraid and our resolve will never waver in the face of terrorism," said a defiant May. The House of Commons resumed business as planned in a show of defiance — even allowing in members of the public to watch, as usual. But outside, where normally there is noisy traffic, crowds of tourists and busy-looking MPs and officials walking in and out, the Palace of Westminster — cordoned off since Wednesday afternoon — was eerily quiet. The only sounds were the helicopters circling above and the fountain in New Palace Yard, still gushing water just short distance from where police officer Keith Palmer was stabbed to death and his suspected assailant was shot. In the cobbled yard, the bloodied rag was the only remnant of the frantic scenes where a minister and emergency services tried in vain to resuscitate Palmer, a 48-year-old husband and father. Westminster's Underground station remained closed early Thursday, while Parliament Square, Westminster Abbey and several adjoining roads were closed off. Flags on government buildings around Westminster flew at half-mast, but many people were walking or cycling into work as usual. "There's definitely an air of nervousness, you can feel that. It's very obvious to see that something very serious happened here," said Jason Llewelyn, a civil servant. — Agencies
