An unknown man deliberately rammed the official car of the Ukrainian Ambassador to the United Kingdom Natalia Galibarenko on April 13, the embassy reported. The car was parked near the Ukrainian embassy in central London. Galibarenko wasn’t inside.
The police opened fire at the car that rammed the ambassador’s vehicle, and later got the attacker out of his car and arrested him.
The embassy reported that no one was hurt. The embassy was closed off for the weekend.
Police aren’t treating the incident as terrorist-related.
The driver wasn’t injured, the police said, but was still taken to a hospital as a precaution. There are no news so far of his identity or motive. The police reported the man was “in his 40s.”
He crashed the ambassador’s car repeatedly, according to the embassy.
“The police were called immediately, and the suspect’s vehicle was blocked up,” reads the embassy’s official statement. “Nevertheless, despite the police actions, the attacker hit the ambassador’s car again. In response, the police were forced to open fire on the perpetrator’s vehicle.”
A Twitter user living nearby said “10 or more gunshots” were heard, adding that it’s “rare for this part of London.” The embassy is located on Holland Park Street, in an affluent neighborhood with embassies of other countries in close proximity.
The police reported they received a call about the incident at 8:30 a.m. The Ukrainian embassy, however, said the attack came at about 10 a.m.
Holland Park Street in central London is seen blocked by police after an unknown man rammed the Ukrainian ambassador’s empty car on April 13. (Katayama Hiroaki/Twitter)
“As is standard procedure, an investigation is now ongoing into the discharge of a police firearm during this incident,” Chief Superintendent Andy Walker was quoted as saying. “While this takes place, I would like to pay tribute to the officers involved this morning who responded swiftly to this incident and put themselves in harm’s way, as they do every day, to keep the people of London safe.”
Editor’s note: We’re updating this story as we get more information.
