Victims of Westminster terrorist attacks remembered
Heightened security for Lithuania fixture
The Mayor of London, Sadiq Khan, will tonight lay a wreath at the start of England’s World Cup qualifier against Lithuania at Wembley to remember those innocent people who lost their lives in the Westminster terrorist attacks.
The Mayor will be joined in the centre circle before kick-off by FA chairman Greg Clarke, Acting Metropolitan Police Commissioner Craig Mackey, and Karen Bradley, Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport.
All four will lay wreaths and then take part in a minute’s silence to remember the four people who lost their lives in Wednesday’s attacks: PC Keith Palmer, Kurt Cochran, Aysha Frade and Leslie Rhodes.
There will be heightened security for the match, which kicks off at 5pm today, including extensive searches of fans before they enter the stadium. The Met Police have said there will be additional patrols across the capital, including armed police around Wembley Stadium and have advised the public to remain vigilant.
The Mayor of London, Sadiq Khan, said: “As football fans, we will stand together at Wembley to remember those who were killed or injured in Wednesday’s horrific attack to send a message around the world - that Londoners will never be cowed by terrorism.
“Ever since the devastating events of Wednesday afternoon, I have been so humbled and moved by the outpourings of solidarity and compassion from Londoners and visitors to our city alike.
“I want to express my deepest gratitude on behalf of all Londoners to the police and emergency services for the way they responded to the attacks in Westminster. They ran to confront danger while encouraging others to run to safety. All Londoners are grateful for their efforts.
“I am honoured to be invited to Wembley Stadium this evening to as we take time to remember those who lost their lives on Wednesday. Our city – the greatest city in the world - will never forget them, and our thoughts are with their families and friends, as well as those injured.
“Those killed and injured included people from every corner of the world. It’s fitting we honour them tonight at Wembley – our national football stadium – to signify our unity as a city and as a country.
“On behalf of all Londoners, I want to thank everyone for their messages of support and can promise you that our capital city is resilient.”