Terrorist told family he would die fighting for God

WESTMINSTER TERRORIST Khalid Masood obsessed over “racist and rude” Donald Trump, and called Theresa May “sick” and “a liar” as he plotted his murderous attack, an inquest has heard.

Masood, 52, was shot dead by police following a stabbing attack on Pc Keith Palmer, 48, and after ploughing into Kurt Cochran, 54, Leslie Rhodes, 75, Aysha Frade, 44, and Andreea Cristea, 31, on Westminster Bridge in a rented 4x4, causing fatal injuries.

An inquest heard he told his children he was “going to die fighting for God” in the weeks leading up to the atrocity.

Six days before the attack, Masood collected the rented Hyundai Tucson he would use in his rampage before driving from Birmingham to Wales to visit his mother, Janet Ajao. His final words to her were: “They will say I’m a terrorist. I’m not.”

The Old Bailey heard Masood converted to Islam during the first of two prison spells and believed his faith was reinforced by “miracles in his life”, including an acquittal for attempted murder and his daughter surviving a car crash. But a former girlfriend, speaking to investigators after last year’s March 22 attack, said he was “vile”.

She said: “He was controlling, violent, obsessive, intelligent and narcissistic. I’m amazed he’s religious. I honestly believe this is a front, an excuse to hurt people.

“He would love the attention and the fear he has created.”

Earlier the court heard how his mother feared he would kill someone while he was still a teenager as he visited pubs and clubs looking for fights in the affluent Kent town of Tunbridge Wells.

Born Adrian Elms, Masood descended into a life of crime – first getting into trouble with police aged 14, and was known to be involved in drug dealing and frequently carried a knife. He was jailed in July 2000 for a flickknife attack, and in 2003 spent six months behind bars after plunging a carving knife through the nose of Daniel Smith.

The hearing continues.