‘I am shocked, saddened and numbed’ says mother of Westminster attacker
THE mother of the Westminster terrorist has said she is “deeply shocked, saddened and numbed” by his actions and has “shed many tears” for his victims.
Speaking for the first time since the car and knife attack that left her eldest son, Adrian, and four others dead, Janet Ajao condemned the “atrocity” in a statement via the Metropolitan Police.
Mrs Ajao, who lives in Wales, said: “I am so deeply shocked, saddened and numbed by the actions my son has taken that have killed and injured innocent people in Westminster.
“Since discovering that it was my son that was responsible I have shed many tears for the people caught up in this horrendous incident ... I wish to make it absolutely clear, so there can be no doubt, I do not condone his actions nor support the beliefs he held that led to him committing this atrocity.”
Ajao injured another 50 people as he drove along the pavement of Westminster Bridge mowing down pedestrians in a rented Hyundai that reached 76mph before crashing into railings. Ajao, 52, then ran to the Palace of Westminster and fatally stabbed Pc Keith Palmer before he was shot dead.
Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant (Isil) has called father-of-four Ajao “a soldier of the Islamic State”, but police can find no direct links to the group.
Deputy Assistant Commissioner Neil Basu, the senior coordinator for UK counter-terrorism policing, said Ajao was inspired by other terrorist incidents, but early indications suggest he acted alone. “I have no evidence he discussed this with others,” he said, adding: “Whilst I have found no evidence of an association with IS or AQ (al-Qaeda), there is clearly an interest in jihad.”
Ajao had a string of criminal convictions for violence and former friends said he converted to Islam in prison in 2003, but police can find no evidence that he was radicalised in jail. He later moved to east London before relocating to Birmingham which remains the main focus of the investigation.
Two men, aged 58 and 30, who were arrested in Birmingham on suspicion of preparing for acts of terrorism remained in custody overnight.
The family of one of Ajao’s victims, US tourist Kurt Cochran, 54, spoke in London yesterday of the “love of so many people” during a “humbling and difficult experience”.
Kurt’s wife, Melissa, 46, is recovering after the couple from Utah were run down and he was killed while on a 25th anniversary treat in London.
Flanked by a dozen relatives, Clint Payne, Mrs Cochran’s brother, said: “It’s been a tender experience... so many have been so kind, we are deeply touched by their goodness and generosity.”