UK police say they have identified the man who killed three people near Parliament in London yesterday before being shot dead as British-born Khalid Masood – who had a history of violence and was known to intelligence authorities.
Masood, 52, was born in the county of Kent in southeast England and was most recently known to be living in the West Midlands.
Though he was known to intelligence, the Metropolitan Police say he was not subject to any current investigation and there was no knowledge of his intent to mount an attack:
Masood 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 [grievous bodily harm], possession of offensive weapons and public order offences.
Prime Minister Theresa May had earlier confirmed in Parliament that the suspect had been investigated by MI5 over extremism, but wasn’t considered a primary figure.
The Islamic State – who were initially quiet about the London attack – claimed responsibility via their news agency Amaq, but didn’t name Masood and gave no details. IS usually claims these kind of attacks regardless, and no formal links to international groups has yet been established or divulged.
Police arrested eight people during late-night raids across the country, including in Birmingham and London.
Source: The Guardian.
Photo: AP.
