Islamic St. claims responsibility for terrorist attack in London
LONDON - A British man described by the Islamic State as one of its soldiers was named by police Thursday as the terrorist who unleashed a one-man wave of mayhem on the city’s famous Westminster Bridge and Parliament square, killing three and injuring dozens.
Khalid Masood, 52, has a lengthy rap sheet but no known terror convictions, police announced.
An American tourist was among the fatalities in Wednesday’s attack, his family said Thursday. The Islamic State claimed responsibility, calling Masood its “soldier.”
Eight people were arrested on suspicion of preparation of terrorist acts, and police said the investigation was continuing. Masood, fatally shot by officers at the scene, had a “range” of previous convictions for assault, possession of offensive weapons and other offenses, London Metropolitan Police said.
“Masood was not the subject of any current investigations, and there was no prior intelligence about his intent to mount a terrorist attack,” police said.
Masood drove his car into a crowd on the iconic Westminster Bridge before ramming his vehicle into a gate outside Parliament and fatally stabbing a police officer, authorities said.
The fatalities included a Utah man on a trip with his wife to celebrate their 25th wedding anniversary, his family confirmed. Kurt Cochran’s wife, Melissa, was hospitalized with serious injuries.
Also killed were Keith Palmer, 48, the police officer with 15 years of service, and Aysha Frade, a British mother and schoolteacher.
Before Masood was publicly identified, Prime Minister Theresa May said the attacker was British-born and known to security officers. She said the man had been investigated by MI5, the domestic security agency, “some years ago” regarding concerns about violent extremism.
“He was a peripheral figure. The case is historic — he was not part of the current intelligence picture,” she said, and there was “no prior intelligence of his intent or of the plot.”
Speaking before the House of Commons, May said: “Our resolve will never waver in the face of terrorism.” The prime minister said the best response to the attack was “millions of acts of normality.”
“This country will not be cowed by these terrorists,” she said.
May’s call was heeded. Tourists streamed across Westminster Bridge on Thursday, hours after it was reopened to pedestrians and traffic. Stuart Elliott, 62, and his wife, Vilma, 59, from Newcastle in northern England, were in London celebrating their 40th wedding anniversary. They traveled to the British capital Thursday morning.
“We were shocked, definitely,” Stuart Elliott said. “But life just carries on.”
Hundreds of people gathered in Trafalgar Square, London, for a vigil to remember the victims of the attack as dusk fell.
Of the 40 people injured in the incident, 29 required hospitalization, and five remained in critical condition late Thursday. Three police officers were injured as they returned from an event to recognize their bravery, May said, adding that two were in serious condition.