Mystery white van man was ‘trying to stop terror crash’

A “HAVE-A-GO hero” was driving the mystery white van seen following the alleged terrorist who drove into pedestrians and cyclists in Parliament Square, it has emerged.

The man driving the unmarked vehicle made a series of sharp manoeuvres to try to keep up with the suspected attacker in the hope of helping police apprehend him.

The van, filmed by a BBC camera overlooking the Palace of Westminster, was shown for 47 seconds weaving between lanes as it pursued Salih Khater’s silver Ford Fiesta before the car smashed into security barriers outside the Palace of Westminster.

Analysis of the footage revealed the van driver’s determination to follow the Fiesta, prompting speculation that either the police or security services had it under surveillance.

Although Scotland Yard said an unmarked police van was in the area on “unrelated matters”, it refused to say whether the van filmed by the BBC camera was theirs. Meanwhile, security sources insisted that Khater was not known to them so was not being followed during the early hours of Tuesday when he arrived in London after driving from Birmingham.

But yesterday, a security source confirmed that a male civilian driver in the white van had been trying to help stop an “imminent attack”, adding that he was a “have-a-go hero”.

The footage showed him react after seeing the Fiesta swerve into oncoming cyclists before mounting a pedestrian island, picking up speed and driving into a barrier.

While other vehicles stopped, with many motorists going to the aid of those injured, the driver of the van continued to give chase.

The clip shows the van pushing past a lorry before stopping directly opposite the Fiesta which hit the barrier with such ferocity that the vehicle lifted into the air.

The recording then stops so it is not known whether the van driver assists police or not.