Whitehall terror suspect was British national educated in London

THE TERROR suspect arrested with several knives in Whitehall on Thursday is understood to be Khalid Mohammed Omar Ali.

It is thought the 27-year-old is a British national who was born overseas and went to school in Tottenham, north London.

The suspect was detained by armed officers after a stop-andsearch in an “intelligence-led” operation.

He remained in custody last night, having been arrested on suspicion of offences under the Terrorism Act and possession of offensive weapons.

Police recovered knives during the swoop, which took place yards from the scene of last month’s deadly attack by Khalid Masood in Westminster.

Reports suggest the suspect was arrested after a concerned family member contacted authorities. Detectives were yesterday continuing to question him, while two searches are being carried out at addresses in London.

Metropolitan Police Deputy Assistant Commissioner Neil Basu said yesterday that he wanted to reassure the public that officers were working around the clock to identify would-be terrorists.

Thanking the public for their “continued help and support”, he added: “No matter how hard we try, it is communities that will defeat terrorism and we rely on your vigilance.”

The official threat level for international terrorism currently stands at severe, indicating that an attack is “highly likely”. It was revealed last month that security services have thwarted 13 potential attacks in less than four years.

Assistant commissioner Mark Rowley also said there were 500 live counter-terror investigations at any time, and appealed for the public’s help.