Terror attack suspect in court

A TERROR suspect accused of attempting to murder members of the public and police officers in an attack outside the Houses of Parliament has appeared in court.

Salih Khater, 29, allegedly drove his silver Ford Fiesta into cyclists and pedestrians before swerving towards police officers and crashing into a security barrier.

The Sudanese-born suspect, who is a British citizen, was arrested by armed police outside the Palace of Westminster last Tuesday.

Three people were treated for non-life threatening injuries after the crash.

Khater, of Highgate Street, Birmingham, appeared at Westminster Magistrates’ Court yesterday charged with two counts of attempted murder.

The charges state that he attempted to murder people at the junction of Parliament Square and Abingdon Street and police officers in Abingdon Street on August 14.

Police said that crown prosecutors will be treating his case as terrorism due to the method of the alleged attack, the targets which are alleged to have been selected and the high-profile location of the ‘attack’.

Khater appeared in the dock wearing white trousers and a grey T-shirt.

He spoke only to confirm his name, date of birth, address and that he was British during a hearing which lasted less than six minutes.

His lawyer, Johanna Quinn, made no application for bail and Chief Magistrate Emma Arbuthnot remanded Khater in custody.

He will next appear at the Old Bailey on August 31.