London Metropolitan Police reported said on Sunday that a 47-year-old man arrested on suspicion of dangerous driving after his car hit and injured a number of people on a pavement has been "released under investigation." 

Several people were injured in the incident at Exhibition Road, which took place just after 2:40 p.m. local time (1340 UTC) on Saturday. London Ambulance Service said 11 people had been hospitalized for their injuries.

Armed police officers were deployed, with enquiries to establish the circumstances and motive undertaken. Police later said they believed the incident was not terror-related, but a road traffic collision.

"We heard a really big bang, then we saw people running," an eyewitness told London-based radio station LBC. "People were confused and people were frightened. There were three cars stopped there. One car was really smashed up. It looked as though it had left the pavement and driven into an information bollard. We saw a man being held down by civilians."

The road is semi-pedestrianized and is usually busy with tourists, being situated between the Natural History Museum and London's Science Museum. Road closures in the area were extensive.

Britain is on its second-highest security alert level, with an attack by militants considered highly likely.
There have been five attacks described officially as terrorism this year, three involving vehicles.

rc/jlw (Reuters, dpa)