Police name London attacker
British police have named the man who launched Wednesday’s attack in London and killed three people, including a policeman who was guarding the UK Parliament.
They said he was a 52-yearold British-born Khalid Masood.
He had driven a car across Westminster Bridge, mowing down pedestrians before ramming it into the railings close to Parliament. He then entered the gates of the parliament building and stabbed to death the policeman, who was unarmed.
Dozens were injured, some of them severely, during the attack.
Masood was shot dead by police. Authorities said he was known to the British intelligence and had many convictions for assaults – but not terrorism.
ISIS had said it was behind the attack, but gave no details of the man or the nature of the attack or how it was organised.
Police said they had no prior intelligence about Masood’s plan to carry out any attack.
The Muslim Council of Britain described the attack as “cowardly and depraved” and said people should “not allow the terrorists” to divide them.
Its secretary general, Harun Khan, said: “There is no justification for this act whatsoever.
“The best response to this outrage is to make sure we come together in solidarity and not allow the terrorists to divide us.”
British Prime Minister Theresa May said Masood was once investigated by MI5 intelligence officers over concerns about violent extremism.
“What I can confirm is that the man was British-born and that some years ago he was once investigated by MI5 in relation to concerns about violent extremism.
“He was a peripheral figure,” she said. “He was not part of the current intelligence picture. There was no prior intelligence of his intent or of the plot”.
She said among the casualties are 12 Britons, four South Koreans, three French children, two Romanians, two Greeks, one German, one Pole, one Chinese and one American.
“A terrorist came to the place where people of all nationalities and cultures gather to celebrate what it means to be free, and he took out his rage indiscriminately against innocent men, women and children,” she added.