Suspected terrorist’s phone found in Thames
A MOBILE phone discarded by a terror suspect arrested yards from Downing Street with a rucksack full of knives has been recovered by police divers, The Mail on Sunday can reveal.
It is believed Khalid Mohammed Omar Ali, 27, threw the smartphone in the Thames before making his way to Whitehall, where it is suspected he intended to launch a jihadi attack.
The MoS understands Metropolitan Police detectives are examining the phone to find if Ali has links to other terrorist suspects or groups, or sent any messages in the lead-up to his arrest.
A source said the phone was recovered in the days after Ali was arrested by armed officers near the gates of No 10. At least three knives were seen to fall out of his rucksack when police pounced two weeks ago. Last night, Scotland Yard refused to give details but a spokesman said: ‘We can confirm officers from the Marine Policing Unit searched an area of the Thames in connection with this investigation.’
It is not clear how divers were able to retrieve the phone, but it is believed undercover officers had Ali under surveillance after being tipped off by his family. Another theory is that police used CCTV footage to trace his movements.
Raffaello Pantucci, a counterterrorism specialist at the Royal United Services Institute, said last night: ‘There may be lots of valuable information in the phone, like the people he had been in contact with.’
Somali-born Ali, from Edmonton, North London, was being questioned this weekend by detectives who have until Thursday to charge or release him. His arrest came only weeks after Khalid Masood, 52, stabbed to death PC Keith Palmer, 48, while the officer was guarding the Houses of Parliament.