Terror suspect had just got UK passport

THE Westminster terror suspect was given a British passport two weeks ago, a friend said yesterday.

Salih Khater, 29, was arrested by armed police who swooped on a Fiesta car that crashed into a security barrier after ploughing into cyclists and pedestrians beside Parliament on Tuesday morning.

The British national, originally from Sudan, was first held on a terrorism charge and later additionally arrested for attempted murder. Three people were injured.

Since the incident, friends and family in his home city of Birmingham and Sudan have defended Khater, suggesting the crash was an accident and police jumped to conclusions. Yesterday the keen footballer’s team coach Anwar Mukhtar said Khater had been taking his identity documents to London to apply for a visa to visit Sudan.

He stressed: ‘Salih was a British citizen and received his British passport only two weeks ago, allowing him to travel in and out of the country for the first time since he arrived as a refugee.’

Khater remains in custody after police were granted a warrant to detain him until Monday. The Metropolitan Police’s counter-terror chief Neil Basu said the force is still treating it as a terrorist incident.