1st LD: 5 injured as car hits pedestrians in London

Five people were injured as a car crashed into pedestrians in south-east London Sunday morning, local police said.

The Metro Police told Xinhua that the incident was "road accident, not related to terrorism," adding that the driver was arrested on suspicion of drunken driving.

The incident had prompted speculations that it might be a terrorist attack following a similar case on Saturday in Heidelbergy, Germany where a man drove into a pedestrian area, killing one and injuring two. The attacker was shot, injured and arrested by police in a brief standoff after fleeing the scene on foot.

The London incident took place at Bromley Road in Bellingham just before 08:30 GMT. The car hit a wall and collided with a group of pedestrians.

Police, paramedics and an air ambulance attended the scene. The five injured people were taken to nearby hospitals, whose conditions are not yet known.

Reports said on Sunday that Britain faces a level of terror threat not seen since the IRA bombings of the 1970s.

The Sunday Telegraph quoted Max Hill, independent reviewer of terrorism laws, as saying that Islamic extremists were targeting British cities. Endi