Police foil Downing Street terror plot
LONDON — A suspected jihadist carrying a knapsack packed with knives was heading toward 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 surveillance when counter-terrorism officers ordered his detention as he came within 300 yards of the gates of the prime minister’s residence.
It is understood the suspect’s family became concerned about his behaviour and reported him to authorities weeks ago. Investigators believe he was about to launch an attack.
The 27-year-old man, dressed head to toe in black, was wrestled to the ground by armed police officers as he walked among a crowd of tourists and workers in Parliament Street just after 2.20 p.m. yesterday.
His arrest came just five weeks after Khalid Masood was shot and killed just 100 yards away — within the grounds of the Palace of Westminster — having mowed down bystanders in a hired car driven over Westminster Bridge.
Prime Minister Theresa May, who was on a tour of a factory in Chesterfield at the time of the arrest, praised security services for preventing another terrorist strike at the heart of British power.
May said: “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.
“We owe a huge debt of gratitude to these people, many of whom are unseen, unheard, yet the job they do day in, day out, to keep us secure is a really important one and we should thank them for it.”