UK Police Identify London Attacker As 52-Year-Old Khalid Masood, British-born father-of-three with criminal record
London terror attacker is 52-Year-Old Khalid Masood
British-born Masood, a married father-of-three killed three people and injured 29 in yesterday’s attack
Islamic State says suspect ‘is one of its ‘Soldiers’ – ISIS today claimed they inspired the attack
Metro police say Khalid Masood has long list of priors, all criminal, none for terror
Known to the security services, once investigated by MI5 over violent extremism
Armed police stormed a flat above a takeaway in Birmingham last night and arrested three people
Five people detained after raids on six properties thought to be linked to the Masood
The Hyundai SUV in attack was rented from car rental in Birmingham
Khalid Masood, seen on the stretcher was shot by the police. He died from his injuries, bring the death tally to four
The British-born jihadi who killed three and injured 29 in Westminster yesterday was a middle-aged career criminal called Khalid Masood.
The 52-year-old ‘lone-wolf’ attacker, who was living in the Birmingham area, has a series of convictions for assault and other crimes but police insist there was no intelligence suggesting he was about to unleash a terror attack.
Kent-born Masood has never been convicted of terror offences, although Theresa May revealed this morning that he had been on MI5’s radar a number of years ago.
Masood was a married father-of-three, an English teacher and a religious convert who was into bodybuilding, according to Sky News.
Armed police men steer the usual crowd of tourists and other members of the public away from the Houses of Parliament
A Scotland Yard spokesman said this afternoon: ‘Masood was also known by a number of aliases. He was not the subject of any current investigations and there was no prior intelligence about his intent to mount a terrorist attack.
‘However, he was known to police and has a range of previous convictions for assaults, including GBH, possession of offensive weapons and public order offences.
‘His first conviction was in November 1983 for criminal damage and his last conviction was in December 2003 for possession of a knife. He has not been convicted for any terrorism offences.’
Masood stabbed PC Keith Palmer to death with two knives outside parliament after killing mother-of-two Aysha Frade and US tourist Kurt Cochran as he ploughed along a crowded pavement on Westminster Bridge.
Police said in a statement Thursday that Masood was born in southeastern England and was most recently living in the West Midlands, in central England.
According to police, Masood, who had a number of aliases, wasn’t the subject of any current investigation and that “there was no prior intelligence about his intent to mount a terrorist attack.”
48-year-old Metropolitan police officer Keith Palmer was fatally stabbed by Khalid Masood during his rampage
He had been arrested previously for assault, possession of offensive weapons and public order offenses. His first conviction was in November 1983 for criminal damage and his last was in December 2003 for possession of a knife.
However, earlier today, Middle East terror group ISIS applauded his ‘demented exploits’ in release. ‘The attacker yesterday in front of the British Parliament in London,’ the statement read ‘was a soldier of the Islamic State executing the operation in response to calls to target citizens of coalition nations.’
Cops from London’s Scotland Yard arrive to search the last known residence of the terror supect Masood, in the midlands on Wednesday night
Addressing parliament on the incident Thursday, Prime Minister Theresa May said: “The man was British-born, and some years ago, he was once investigated in relation to concerns about violent extremism. He was a peripheral figure.
“The case is historic, he was not part of the current intelligence picture.
“There was no prior intelligence of his intent – or of the plot. Intensive investigations continue,” the prime minister said.
Masood reportedly, lived in the Winson Green area of Birmingham, where neighbours claimed he shared an apartment with a woman and a young child.One of the neighbors, Iwona Romek, said: ‘When I saw the pictures on TV and in the papers of the man who carried out the attack, I recognised him as the man who used to live next door.
Men from Scotland Yard seen at the Birmingham residence of the terror suspect Khalid Masood above a restaurant. Police confirmed 5 people were detained after searching six different homes associated with the suspect on Wednesday night
‘I would see him quite often, but it would just be a ‘hello’ and a ‘how are you’. He had a young child, who I’d think was about five or six years old.
‘There was a woman living there with him, an Asian woman. He seemed to be quite nice, he would be taking care of his garden and the weeds.
‘He moved out in December. One day he was gone, there were delivery vans outside all of a sudden. Last night I just heard banging of the door and police shouting ‘open the door, open the door’. They were saying ‘it’s on the second floor.’
‘I heard the helicopters flying above too. Men were going in the forensics outfits, it was very strange… I just thought it was a normal family.’
Metropolitan Police counterterrorism chief Mark Rowley confirmed earlier Thursday that police raided six addresses and arrested seven people in connection with Wednesday’s attack.
He said investigators believed the suspect “was inspired by international terrorism.”
PM Theresa May addressing Commons on Thursday – “Yesterday an act of terrorism tried to silence our democracy, but today we meet as normal”
Rowley also revised the death toll down to four, including the attacker, a police officer guarding Parliament and two civilians. He said that 29 people required hospitalization and seven of them are in critical condition.
“Greater clarity is now developing regarding the casualty figures as we have now collated information from the public and five hospitals,” Rowley said.
The Islamic State-linked Aamaq news agency said later Thursday that the person who carried out the attack “was a soldier of the Islamic State.” It added that the person “carried out the operation in response to calls for targeting citizens of the coalition.”
Victim: School teacher Aysha Freda was crushed under a bus
Prime Minister May said British authorities believe Masood was a lone wolf and there is no reason to believe “imminent further attacks” are planned.
Sounding a note of defiance, PM Theresa May said: “we are not afraid.”
“Yesterday an act of terrorism tried to silence our democracy, but today we meet as normal,” she said.
Police officers in London carried out vehicle checks overnight, steps away from the Houses of Parliament, the scene of yesterday’s deadly rampage.
“The location of this attack was no accident,” May said. “The terrorist chose to strike at the heart of our capital city.”
Mother-of-two Aysha Frade, seen in photo [left], with husband John Frade
Witnesses say terror suspect, Khalid Masood intentionally ran them over with an SUV on the crowded pavement on Westminster Bridge.
Metro police said the suspect next slammed the rented SUV into the gates of the nearby Houses of Parliament before getting out and fatally stabbing 48-year-old police officer Keith Palmer. His terror rampage ended with another police officer shooting the suspect, fatally.
One of the victims who was killed has been identified as US tourist, Kurt W. Cochran, a Utah resident, in London celebrating his 25th anniversary with his wife, Melissa.
May said among the injured are 12 Britons, three French, two Romanians, four South Koreans, one German, one Pole, one Irish, one Chinese, one Italian, one American and two Greeks.
Victim: US tourist Kurt Cochran died from his injuries on Wednesday
Melissa and Kurt Cochran when they were both hit on Westminster Bridge. The couple from Utah were on the last day of a trip celebrating their 25th wedding anniversary on Wednesday
Car rental company Enterprise in a statement Thursday, said the vehicle “used in the tragic attack in London yesterday afternoon was one of ours.” Masood rented the vehicle in Birmingham. An employee identified the vehicle after seeing the license plate in an online image, the statement from Enterprise said. The company verified and immediately contacted authorities.
“Our thoughts are very much with the victims of this terrible tragedy,” the company said.
Leave a Reply