British police stumped
> All but one London attack suspect freed
LONDON: British police admitted on Saturday they may never know the motive behind this week’s terror attack on parliament, after releasing all but one of 11 people held over the assault.
They have named 52-year-old Briton Khalid Masood (pix) as the man who killed three people in Westminster on Wednesday, but issued a fresh plea for any information that might explain why he did it.
“We must all accept that there is a possibility we will never understand why he did this. That understanding may have died with him,” senior counterterrorism officer Neil Basu said.
A new breakdown of the attack revealed that Khalid, who had a violent criminal past, took just 82 seconds to wreak havoc.
His car mounted the pavement on Westminster Bridge before driving along the road and footpath and crashing into the fence of the Houses of Parliament.
Khalid left the vehicle and was shot by police, but not before fatally stabbing an unarmed policeman, Keith Palmer, who was guarding a gate.
“Our investigation continues at pace. I am grateful for the public support so far, but I am asking for more help,” Basu said in a statement.
“We still believe that Khalid acted alone on the day and there is no information or intelligence to suggest there are further attacks planned.
“Even if he acted alone in the preparation, we need to establish with absolute clarity why he did these unspeakable acts to bring reassurance to Londoners, and to provide answers and closure for the families of those killed and the victims and survivors of this atrocity.”
A total of 11 people were held on suspicion of preparation of terrorist attacks in the wake of the attack.
But only a 58-yearold man arrested in Birmingham, the central English city where Khalid last lived, remained in custody late on Saturday.
One of the 10 others who were released, a 32-year-old woman, is on bail. The others have all been freed with no further action.
The Islamic State group claimed that one of its “soldiers” carried out the attack, the worst in Britain since the July 2005 bombings which left 52 people dead.
But police are still trying to establish Khalid’s motivation.
“We are determined to understand if Khalid was a lone actor inspired by terrorist propaganda or if others have directed him,” Basu said. – AFP