Westminster terror attack: Eerie silence falls as death strikes again

London's tourist and political epicentre reduced to a sprawling crime scene with a blinking blue glare.

The roads leading to the Palace of Westminster were eerily quiet.

No buses, no congestion, no life.

You could smell that something had gone terribly, horribly wrong.

The world's greatest capital city felt like it was in mourning.

And those feelings were confirmed as I approached the huge police cordon at Westminster Abbey where there was intense activity.

A row of police vans, ambulances, and fire engines lined Parliament Square.

Black unmarked police cars zoomed around the desolate roads normally swarming with tourists.

Animated forensics officers were busily assessing the scene around the gates to Parliament.

As I watched on a team of sniffer dogs arrived with their trainers.

They, like the rest of us, trying to make sense of barbarism on the streets of Britain and the home of democracy.

From the moment I arrived in London there were early signs of despair at Euston station.

Flashing signs told commuters that Westminster Tube station was closed – but not why.

But if there was any doubt that something was wrong, then you only had to look to the sky.

A police helicopter circled over central London like a vulture. Amongst the bustling hubbub was shock and dismay from travellers.

"Have you heard?" asked one lady looking tearful.

"Yes I am safe," said a flustered man.

Back in Parliament Square the bells of Westminster Abbey broke the silence.

It made for a sombre setting. It felt like a funeral.

The Abbey – so often a place of major State events – was transformed into a place of sanctuary for the hundreds of parliamentary workers and those caught up in the attack.

The cordon stretched from the Abbey to Trafalgar Square – Whitehall was in lockdown.

Westminster Bridge and Embankment were also impassable.

There was some confusion amongst the few tourists who had ventured into this part of the city.

One person I spoke to was ashen-faced when I told him three people had been killed plus the attacker and 20 more injured. A young female parliamentary researcher was visibly in tears as she was comforted by a police officer.

A growing media circus dominated one end of the square. TV presenters used those popular news buzzwords of 'dramatic', 'shock', and 'barbaric' while providing wall-to-wall coverage of the worst terror attack on parliament in nearly 40 years.

Indeed it has been more than a decade since the last terrorist major attack in this city.

But this time the emergency services were ready.

It felt like their response was a smooth, well-oiled machine.

There was no chaos in this disaster area.

It was surprisingly calm.

Similarly their professionalism could not be called into question despite the killing of one of their own.

If they were affected by what had happened they did not show it.

Around 7.30pm the lockdown in Westminster was lifted. MPs emerged on the streets from the House of Commons chamber and joined those simultaneously leaving Westminster Abbey.

After several long hours and the sheer gravity of the day's events becoming apparent, it was not surprising that most of them did not have the energy to speak.

They just wanted to get home to their families – and who quite frankly could blame them.

As darkness fell on Parliament, it was clear that this huge operation would continue into today – and possibly tomorrow.

After the night's main news bulletins were over journalists shared stories and compared anecdotes.

But even the most hard-nosed of hacks were astonished by what had happened and the manner in which it unfolded.

There was no gallows humour last night.

Just the sick realisation that London had once again been targeted by terrorists and innocent people lay dead.