Suspected London terror plot foiled
Man arrested with backpack full of knives
LONDON • A suspected jihadist carrying a rucksack packed with knives was heading towards Downing Street when he was dramatically arrested by armed police Thursday, security sources have told The Daily Telegraph.
The “lone wolf” suspect had been under close surveillance when counter-terrorism officers ordered his immediate detention as he came within 300 yards of the gates of the prime minister’s residence.
It is understood that the suspect’s family had become concerned about his behaviour and reported him to the authorities several weeks ago. Investigators believe he was set to launch an attack.
The 27-year-old man, dressed all in black, was wrestled to the ground by armed police officers as he walked among a crowd of tourists and workers in Parliament Street.
His arrest came just five
THE SUSPECT’S FAMILY HAD BECOME CONCERNED ABOUT HIS BEHAVIOUR AND REPORTED HIM.
weeks after Khalid Masood was shot and killed nearby, having mown down bystanders in a hired car driven over Westminster Bridge.
Prime Minister Theresa May praised security services. “It shows that our police and intelligence and security services are on the alert, as they always are, looking to keep us safe and secure,” May said.
A government source told The Daily Telegraph that the man, who is believed to have been born overseas but who lives in London, had been arrested as part of an “intelligence-led operation.”
He had been followed on the subway until St. James’s Park, where he headed towards Westminster. The source said: “He was under surveillance and he was stopped while walking away from Parliament Square and up Whitehall towards Downing Street.”
A senior police source said: “This is someone who was known and under surveillance. He was being watched very closely.” They said the man had been “walking in the direction of Whitehall and No. 10 (Downing Street, the prime minister’s residence)” and that “at some stage an alert went out to all the teams in the area and the order was made to pick him up.” Police said that there “is no immediate known threat” following the arrest, which means he was likely acting as a “lone wolf.”