Mother of terrorist killer tells of her deep shock
‘He was example of focusing on positive’
THE MOTHER of Westminster terrorist Khalid Masood has said she is “deeply shocked, saddened and numbed” by the actions of her son.
Janet Ajao said she did not condone the attack or the beliefs which had led Masood to commit the “atrocity”.
In a statement released through the Metropolitan Police, she 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.
“I wish to thank my friends, family and community from the bottom of my heart for the love and support given to us.”
Muslim convert Masood killed four people in an 82-second rampage in Westminster on Wednesday.
He was shot dead by police after fatally knifing Pc Keith Palmer in the Palace of Westminster’s forecourt.
Scotland Yard said it had found “no evidence” Masood was linked to “Islamic State” or al-Qaida but said he “clearly” had an interest in jihad.
Deputy Assistant Commissioner Neil Basu, the senior national coordinator for UK counter-terrorism policing, said: “His attack method appears to be based on low sophistication, low tech, low cost techniques copied from other attacks.”
THE FAMILY of an American tourist killed in the Westminster terror atrocity that left his wife badly injured have maintained they bear no ill will over the attack.
Kurt and Melissa Cochran, from Utah, were on the final day of a trip to London to celebrate their 25th wedding anniversary when they were caught up in the carnage last Wednesday.
The couple were mown down on Westminster Bridge by a car driven by Khalid Masood, killing Mr Cochran, 54, and leaving his 46-year-old wife in hospital with a broken leg, rib and cut head.
Speaking yesterday at Scotland Yard, just a few hundred yards from the devastating attack, Mrs Cochran’s sister-in-law, Shantell Payne, said it was “awful, horrible, (and) gut-wrenching” that the attack was carried out in the name of religion.
“But we’re going to support Melissa and we’re going to try not to concern ourselves with any of that for the moment,” she added.
Sara McFarland, Mrs Cochran’s sister, said: “Last night we were speaking as a family about this and it was deeply unanimous that none of us harbour any ill will or harsh feelings towards this.
“We love our brother, we love what he brought to the world and we feel like this situation is going to bring many good things to the world, a lot of inspiration.”
Mr and Mrs Cochran had been visiting her parents, who were serving as missionaries in the London Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints (Mormons), and were sightseeing on the last day before going home when they were caught up in the attack.
Flanked by 12 members of the couple’s family, Dimmon Payne, Mrs Cochran’s father, said the family had heard about the attack happening but did not know their loved ones were caught up in it until they saw photos online.
He said: “That came to us shortly after pictures were recognised; our daughter-in-law recognised the pictures and called us immediately. We got online and realised it was our loved ones, and that’s how we found out.”
Mr Payne said the incident had brought the family “closer together”, while his wife, Sandra, Mrs Cochran’s mother, said her daughter was “recovering well” and that they were delighted with her progress.
She said: “I know that her attitude is great right now and I know that’s because of all the love and prayers that have come from all over the world and the support we have had and the support we have been able to give her by being here.”
Mr and Mrs Cochran arrived in the UK on March 3, their first time away from the US. They travelled through Scotland and Ireland before visiting Belgium, Holland and Germany and were looking forward to getting home to share their photographs.
Clint Payne, Mrs Cochran’s brother, said: “They loved it here and Kurt repeatedly said that he felt that he was at home here, so thank you for being such good people.”
Mr Payne said the days since the attack had been “humbling and difficult” for the family, but that it had been a “tender experience” for them to be together to support Mrs Cochran.
And he said they took comfort from the idea that Mr Cochran focused on “the positive” things in life, saying: “Those of us who knew Kurt in life know that Kurt would not bear ill feelings towards anyone, and we can draw strength as a family from that.
“His whole life was an example of focusing on the positive, not pretending that negative things don’t exist, but not living our life in the negative.”
TOMORROW WILL be a day of remembrance when the country pauses in memory of the victims of the London terror attack exactly one week on.
Against such a sombre backdrop, the Government’s triggering of Article 50 to begin the formal two-year process of Britain leaving the EU, vastly significant though it is, may well feel like a sideshow since little is likely to happen for months other than talks about talks.
But the two events are inextricably linked because the evil perpetrated on the streets of Westminster underlines more powerfully than any amount of talks that the countries of Europe need to maintain the closest possible cooperation on security and intelligence.
However messy and acrimonious the divorce between Britain and the EU becomes – and it will – differences must be put aside for the sake of unity in combating Islamist terrorism.
A week ago, London joined Paris, Nice, Brussels and Berlin on the list of great cities targeted by a new wave of terror attacks spawned by the cruelties and agonies of the Middle East.
The need to fight and defeat this together as a united group of civilised and free nations should be uppermost in the minds of the negotiating teams from Britain and the EU as they grapple with trade deals and the movement of citizens – indeed Home Secretary Amber Rudd met her EU counterparts yesterday to give them an update on the London atrocity.
Even though the murderer responsible, Khalid Masood, appears to be a homegrown terrorist, the menace he represents knows no borders.
The scale of the threat to Britain from within our own borders is deeply troubling. The most recent figures from the security services on anti-terror operations revealed that there are currently about 550 live investigations involving 3,000 potential suspects.
Those are just the people that the police and intelligence services have on their radar. There is every possibility of others like Masood, who was not under investigation even though he had been previously known to MI5.
The security services across Europe will have similarly disturbing statistics, and it is safe to assume they have already made it clear to their political masters that the lines of communication across the English Channel must remain open regardless of Brexit’s final outcome.
A key reason for that is that Britain’s intelligence services now lead the way in tracking and disrupting planned attacks – a consequence of their failure to stop the July 7 2005 bombings of three Tube trains and a bus in London by a fourman cell, three of whom were from West Yorkshire. Then, MI5 had abandoned its surveillance of the terror cell’s ringleader, Mohammad Sidique Khan, from Beeston, Leeds, judging him not to be a high risk.
It was a catastrophic error that resulted in the deaths of 52 people and injuries to scores more.
But the mistake prompted a comprehensive shake-up of anti-terror operations, which have since seen the security services foil dozens of attacks. They are to be strengthened further with an additional £2.5bn funding and 1,900 extra personnel over the past five years.
That is no comfort to those whose loved ones were killed or injured last week, but for the rest of us it provides reassurance that everything possible is being done to prevent terrorism.
But Britain must act in concert with the rest of Europe if our shield against murderous extremism is to be at its most effective.
In its turn, Europe needs to up its game in tracking terror suspects.
Ten days before last week’s attacks, a leaked EU report warned of failings in the Schengen free-movement area.
Terror suspects were getting into the EU from the Middle East and then moving across internal borders with impunity, it concluded, and even those on watch lists were not being picked up. Nor, potentially, were guns and explosives intended for use in atrocities.
There were also failings in the way individual countries were sharing information with neighbours, and problems in accessing each others’ databases to identify suspects.
Failings as basic as these are unacceptable, especially after the attacks on major continental cities.
And it is another reason why cooperation on terrorism needs to be at the top of the agenda when Brexit talks start in earnest.
The EU’s instinct for self-preservation, and its anxiety at the growth of far-right sentiment in response to both a massive influx of immigrants and a series of attacks, should mean that it recognises how vitally important it is to continue embracing Britain as a full partner.
There is no doubt that the expressions of sympathy and solidarity from EU countries after last week’s attacks were heartfelt, just as Britain’s were when European cities suffered grievous loss of life.
Tomorrow is an anniversary that nobody would wish to have marked. But if, on the same day, the triggering of Brexit can come with renewed resolve to stamp out terrorism across Europe, then some good can come out of an act of evil.