Hero member of Parliament: 'I headed towards it'
BOURNEMOUTH, England — A member of Britain's Parliament sprung into action Wednesday moments after a police officer was stabbed as a terror attack unfolded near Parliament in London.
The police officer and two civilians were killed and dozens were injured in an incident investigators believe was "inspired by international terrorism."
Mark Rowley, the acting deputy commissioner of the London Metropolitan Police on Thursday, earlier revised down the number of dead to three — Keith Palmer, 48, the police officer with 15 years of service who has stabbed outside Parliament, and two civilians — a woman in her 40s and a man in his 50s.
The attacker, shot by police, brought the total death toll to four.
But Conservative member of Parliament Tobias Ellwood, didn't know all of that at the time. He gave CPR and mouth-to-mouth to the police officer on the grounds of the Palace of Westminster in London.
Speaking to The Sun, Ellwood, a Foreign Office minister from Bournemouth East, said it was a "huge tragedy."
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This was not the first time Ellwood's life has been touched by tragedy. His brother Jonathan Ellwood was killed in the 2002 Bali bombing.
"I am a witness, I was the last one on the scene before he died so I am not allowed to say anything," Ellwood, a former Army officer, told The Sun. "Number 10 (Downing Street) has been in touch so I'll get into trouble.
"It is now murder, I was on the scene and as soon as I realized what was going on I headed towards it.
"It is a huge tragedy, it really is.
"I tried to stem the flow of blood and give mouth to mouth while waiting for the medics to arrive but I think he had lost too much blood.
"I'm not allowed to say anything, I'll get into trouble.
"It's very sad," the newspaper reported him saying.
Student Hugh Dickinson, 21, posted a picture of Ellwood on Twitter showing the Elwood bleeding, but saying "he looked to be fine."
Dickinson said: "He had blood on his forehead as you can see but he wasn't bleeding profusely.
"It looked like either a smear or graze and you can see some on his cuff too if you zoom in. He looked to be fine — no obvious limp or anything."
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As Foreign Office minister, Ellwood has the Middle East, Africa and counter terrorism listed among the areas within his brief.
His actions drew praise from across the political spectrum, with Liberal Democrat leader Tim Farron saying: "He was utterly heroic, pure and simple. He went above and beyond and did all he could to save a police officer."
Conservative Minister of Parliament Ben Howlett, tweeted: "Tobias Ellwood is an absolute hero for what he did to help the policeman this afternoon!"
Labour leader Jeremy Corbyn also added to the cross-party praise for Ellwood.
"Our thanks and gratitude go to the police and emergency services who responded so bravely, and to those — including the MP Tobias Ellwood — who went to the aid of the injured and dying," he said.
Conservative Member of Parliament Adam Afriyie saw Ellwood, his longtime friend, try to save the life of the police officer.
According to The Sun, Afriyie told BBC News he saw Ellwood walk toward the situation after he and other members of Parliament were instructed to go back to Portcullis House, the office building for members of Parliament and their staff.
"He walked straight past and straight to where the incident had taken place. Then it occurred to me that he had lost his brother in Bali and he was going to do anything he possibly could to help the situation.
"I am really, really proud of him. I am sure his family is too and the rest of us are for actually trying to give life support of the police officer who was injured."
As paramedics treated the victim, the foreign minister walked back to onlookers who were watching from a distance, shaken and grim faced.
One embraced him before another patted his shoulder.
He later arrived back at the Foreign Office where a spokesperson said Ellwood was safe and well.
Related: Doctor raised in U.S. helped triage London victims
Ellwood has been Parliamentary Under-Secretary at the Foreign Office since July 2014. He has been the member of Parliament for Bournemouth East since 2005.
Speaking after he learned of the officer’s death, police and crime commissioner Martyn Underhill said: “This reminds us all that police officers put themselves in harm’s way every day to keep us safe.
“The officer paid the ultimate price to protect the very seat of democracy in our country.”
He said he had the “utmost respect” for Ellwood, who “stepped in to try and save a life using his Army training.”
Contributing: Jane Onyanga-Omara, USA TODAY. Follow Alex Winter on Twitter: Winter_Alex