Policemen stand guard near the Natural History Museum in London, Britain, on Oct. 7, 2017. A number of people were injured Saturday after a car ploughed into pedestrians outside Natural History Museum, London Metropolitan Police said. (Xinhua/Han Yan)
LONDON, Oct. 7 (Xinhua) -- British police ruled out terrorism after a car crashed into pedestrians and injured 11 people outside the Natural History Museum of London on Saturday.
One person was arrested after the road traffic collision outside the museum, London Metropolitan Police said.
"The incident is a road traffic investigation and not a terrorist-related incident," the police statement said, adding that enquiries are ongoing.
It says 11 people were found at the scene with varying injuries and nine of them have been taken to hospital, including the man that was detained by police.
Their injuries are not believed to be life-threatening or life-changing.
The police said they were called at 14:21 p.m. to reports of a collision in Exhibition Road, South Kensington.
Pictures and video shared on social media showed street damage and a large police presence in the capital's museum district, which is home to the Natural History Museum, the Science Museum and the Victoria and Albert Museum. Nearby museums have been evacuated while the roads remain closed.
The Natural History Museum tweeted: "There's been a serious incident outside the Museum. We are working w/ @metpoliceuk and will provide an update when we have more information."
One video online showed a man being restrained on the ground in the middle of Exhibition Road. None of the four people around him were in police uniform. A black Toyota car is behind them with the driver's door open, and it appears to have collided with a silver Vauxhall saloon.
The incident follows a number of terror attacks in London this year in which vehicles have been used to target pedestrians.
On March 22, a terrorist drove a car into pedestrians on Westminster Bridge, killing four people and injuring more than 50 before he was killed by an armed officer outside the Houses of Parliament.
On July 3, terrorists killed eight people and injured another 48 after using a van to drive into crowds at London Bridge before jumping out and stabbing customers in bars and restaurants.
