Police Officer Killed in London Terror Attack Identified

Scotland Yard has identified the police officer who was killed in a terrorist attack on Wednesday in London.

The officer, Keith Palmer, 48, was a member of the Parliamentary and Diplomatic Protection Command and served on the police force for 15 years before his death. He was a husband and father.

“Keith Palmer was killed while bravely doing his duty protecting our city and the heart of our democracy from those who want to destroy our way of life,” London Mayor Sidiq Khan said in a statement.

Mark Rowley, the national lead for Counter Terrorism Policing and the Acting Deputy Commissioner at Scotland Yard, said in a statement Wednesday that Palmer “was someone who left for work today expecting to return home at the end of his shift and he had every right to expect that would happen.”

Rowley confirmed five people died in the attack, with approximately 40 people injured. Of the injured, three are police officers, two of whom are in serious condition.

Scotland Yard said they will not release the identity of the suspect, but it will continue the investigation and work throughout the night.

Rowley told the press that officials think they know who the attacker might be and that they “are working to look at associates.”

He said Scotland Yard is working under the assumption the attack was connected to “Islamism-related terrorism.”

Rowley said the threat level in the United Kingdom has been labeled “severe” “for some time” and that it will not change. The lockdown on Parliament has been lifted by officials.

The assailant careened a car through one of the busiest and most recognizable parts of London at about 2:40 p.m. local time, hitting dozens of pedestrians before crashing into the gate outside the Palace of Westminster during Prime Minister’s Questions time. The attacker then got out and fatally stabbed a police officer before being shot dead by guards, the BBC and other outlets report.

British Prime Minister Theresa May on Wednesday night addressed the deadly car and stabbing attack near Parliament earlier that day, assuring the world that the city remains unbroken by the violence.

“We will all move forward together,” she said outside 10 Downing Street in London, less than half a mile from the site of the attack. “Never giving in to terror and never allowing the voices of hate and evil to drive us apart.”

This article was originally published on PEOPLE.com