Whitehall terror suspect named and plot foiled
ATERROR suspect arrested in Whitehall on Thursday has been named as Khalid Mohamed Omar Ali.
The 27-year-old is believed to be a British national who was born overseas and went to school in Tottenham, north London.
In a separate operation, an active terror plot was foiled after police launched an armed raid in north London in which a woman was shot and injured.
Ali was detained by armed officers after a stop and search as part of an “intelligence-led” operation.
He remains in custody, having been arrested on suspicion of offences under the Terrorism Act and possession of offensive weapons.
Police recovered knives during the swoop, which took place yards from the scene of last month’s deadly attack by Khalid Masood in Westminster.
Reports suggest the suspect was arrested after a concerned family member contacted authorities. Detectives are continuing to question him, while two searches are being carried out at addresses in London.
Meanwhile, six people were in custody after a team of specialist firearms officers stormed an address in Willesden, north London, on Thursday night.
A woman in her twenties who was shot during the swoop remains under police guard after being taken to hospital in a serious but stable condition.
Elite armed officers carried out a “specialist entry” into a terrace property in Harlesden Road shortly before 7pm on Thursday.
Police fired CS gas into the property, which had been under observation as part of a current counter-terrorism operation.
Neighbours recalled hearing “at least six” shots and screaming as police entered the building.
Ruth Haile, who lives in the road, said she heard shots and saw an injured woman being treated.
Ms Haile said: “She shouted, ‘Don’t touch me, my body, don’t touch my dress’.”
Alexandra Sabanov, a mother of one who lives next door to the raided house, saw officers with “gas masks and snipers”.
“We heard ‘bang, bang, bang, bang’, went to the window and just saw a number of armed police just there with their guns pointing at our next-door neighbour’s window.”
She said the woman was “screaming really loud” and described her neighbours as a “standard Muslim couple” of whom she “never suspected anything at all”.
Giving an update on the two operations, Metropolitan Police Deputy Assistant Commissioner Neil Basu said yesterday: “Due to these arrests that have been made yesterday, in both cases I believe that we have contained the threats that they posed.”
Mr Basu said an armed entry was necessary in Willesden “due to the nature of the intelligence that we were dealing with”.
He said: “During the course of that operation, one of the subjects of that operation – a woman – was shot by police; she remains in hospital.
“Her condition is serious but stable. Because of her condition she has not yet been arrested. We are monitoring her condition closely.”
The Independent Police Complaints Commission has been informed of the incident, as is routine for police shootings.
A total of six people were arrested in connection with the raid, including five at or near the address in north London and one in Kent.
Two of the arrests were made when a man and a woman, both aged 28, returned to the address later that night, Mr Basu said. Searches are continuing at three London addresses.
Mr Basu said he wanted to reassure the public that officers were working around the clock to identify would-be terrorists.
Thanking the public for their “continued help and support”, he added: “No matter how hard we try, it is communities that will defeat terrorism and we rely on your vigilance.”
Home Secretary Amber Rudd said: “I would like to reinforce my gratitude to the police and security services, who work tirelessly around the clock to keep the people of this country safe.”
She added that role of the public “continues to be crucial in identifying suspicious activity” and urged anyone with concerns to contact authorities.
The official threat level for international terrorism currently stands at severe, indicating that an attack is “highly likely”. It was revealed last month that security services have thwarted 13 potential attacks in less than four years.