Westminster Bridge inquest urged to examine ‘failure’ to tackle radicalisation

FAMILIES of the Westminster Bridge terror attack victims have called for their inquest to examine the continuing “failure” to get to grips with radicalisation on the internet and in prisons.

On March 22, last year, Kentborn Khalid Masood, 52, was shot dead by police after he drove a rental car into pedestrians on Westminster Bridge before fatally stabbing Pc Keith Palmer, 48, in the Palace of Westminster’s forecourt.

American tourist Kurt Cochran, 54, retired window cleaner Leslie Rhodes, 75, Aysha Frade, 44, and Romanian tourist Andreea Cristea, 31, also died as a result of Masood’s rampage.

Yesterday, Chief Coroner Mark Lucraft QC conducted a pre-inquest hearing at the Old Bailey where families were among those represented.

An inquest into the deaths of the victims will be heard before Mr Lucraft at the Old Bailey from September 10 and is expected to last up to four weeks.

A separate jury inquest would follow immediately afterwards into the death of Masood, the court heard.

Gareth Patterson QC, representing the families, called for the coroner to examine the problems that are highlighted in “terrorist trial after terrorist trial” at the Old Bailey.

They included “the internet, end-to-end encryption and radicalisation in prison and failure to get to grips with these problems which occur again and again”, he said. Calling on the coroner to shed light on these problems, he said: “Terrorist trial after terrorist trial shows the same problems featuring in the evidence.

“Why is it that radical material continues to be freely available on the internet? We do not understand.”

The Westminster Bridge attacker used WhatsApp to see jihadi material which could not be obtained without the phones, Mr Patterson said.

“We do not understand why it is necessary for WhatsApp and Telegram to have end-to-end encryption,” he added.