Saskatoon man thankful after narrowly missing chaos in London

A Saskatoon man came frighteningly close to being in the area of a violent attack in London, UK.

Bad weather was all that kept Brian Bentley from touring the British Houses of Parliament Wednesday.

“We were going down to the Palace of Westminster, thinking about going down there to have a look around and even considering going into Question Period, if it was on,” Bentley said

Wednesday saw a man reportedly hit several pedestrians on the nearby Westminster Bridge with a vehicle before getting out and stabbing a police officer to death inside palace gates. The attack left four people dead, including the suspect.

Bentley said he’s thankful that the gloomy weather prompted him to skip his planned visit and return to the apartment where he was staying. 

“I guess we were just lucky and the good Lord looking out for us,” he said during a phone call with 650 CKOM from London. 

He said news of the attack came out shortly after he and his wife changed their plans.

“We had just got home when the news broke, so we can see Big Ben from where we are staying. We can see the area from where we are,” Bentley said. “Lots of helicopter activity, lots of siren activity.”

He said the UK attack won’t cancel his trip, but it will keep him and his wife on alert.

“I considered ourselves seasoned travellers and we’re just diligent, we’re careful of what we do, but we also don’t let it get the better of us,” he said.