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RECORDING: Westminster attacker acted alone and motive may never be known, say police

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RECORDING: Westminster attacker acted alone and motive may never be known, say police

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In the aftermath of the attack at the Houses of Parliament in Westminster, here is what we know

The investigation into a terrorist attack outside the Houses of Parliament in London is continuing.

Here is what the Guardian has been able to confirm:

Five people have died, including a police officer and the attacker.

Police say at least 50 people were injured, with 31 requiring hospital treatment. Two of these remain in a critical condition, one of whom has life-threatening injuries. Two police officers are among those still in hospital.

The assailant was Khalid Masood, 52, who was born in Kent with the birth name Adrian Elms. He was believed to have been living recently in the West Midlands.

He drove a car into pedestrians on Westminster Bridge, killing three people – two of whom died at the scene and one who died of his injuries in hospital – before crashing it outside parliament and trying to enter the building, armed with two knives.

He stabbed an unarmed police officer who later died from the injuries. Police then shot the attacker. The dead officer was identified as PC Keith Palmer, 48, who had 15 years of service with the parliamentary and diplomatic protection service and was a husband and father.

Another victim was named as Aysha Frade, 43, who worked at a sixth-form college in Westminster. The mother of two had family in Betanzos, Galicia, north-west Spain, and her death was confirmed by the mayor of the town.

A third person killed by the attacker was named as Kurt Cochran, a tourist from Utah in the US. He and his wife, Melissa, were on the last day of a trip to Europe to celebrate their 25th wedding anniversary. Melissa remains in hospital with serious injuries.

On Friday, police said a fourth victim, Leslie Rhodes, 75, from Clapham in south London, had died in hospital overnight. He was a retired window cleaner who had apparently been crossing the bridge to catch a bus after visiting a friend in St Thomas’ hospital.

Theresa May said the attacker had been investigated “some years ago” by MI5 in relation to concerns about violent extremism but was “not part of the current intelligence picture”.

The Metropolitan police said Masood had a range of previous convictions for assaults, including GBH, possession of offensive weapons and public order offences. His most recent was in December 2003 for possession of a knife.

Islamic State claimed responsibility for the attack. It released a statement through the Amaq news agency, which it uses to broadcast propaganda, calling the attacker “a soldier of Islamic State”. The claim is unverified.

The attacker is believed to have acted alone but police are investigating possible associates. May said there was no reason to believe further attacks on the public were planned.

Police have searched several addresses in Birmingham, London and other parts of the country. Five men and three women were arrested overnight on Wednesday and early on Thursday on suspicion of preparation of terrorist acts. Two men were arrested overnight on Thursday – one in the West Midlands and one in north-west England – and a woman was detained in Manchester on Friday morning. Ten people remain in custody after one woman was released on bail.

About 2,700 items were seized in the property searches, including computer data, and three cars were seized during an armed raid.

Police said they had had contacts with about 3,500 witnesses, including 1,000 from people on Westminster Bridge and around 2,500 who were within the parliamentary estate.

May told MPs in a statement to parliament on Thursday: “We are not afraid and our resolve will never waver in the face of terrorism.” The prime minister, who was moved out of parliament within minutes and driven to Downing Street, described Palmer as “every inch a hero”.

Twelve Britons were injured, including three police officers. Four university students, three French children, four South Koreans, two Romanians, two Greeks, a Chinese national, an Italian, an American, a Pole, an Irish national and a German woman resident in Australia were also hurt.

A Romanian tourist pulled from the Thames was celebrating her boyfriend’s birthday in London. She sustained serious head injuries and badly damaged lungs; her boyfriend suffered a fractured foot. The Romanian embassy in London confirmed the woman’s name as Andreea Cristea.

The minister for counter-terrorism, Tobias Ellwood, a former soldier, raced to give first aid to the police officer who later died. Pictures showed him with blood on his face as he administered CPR.

The London mayor, Sadiq Khan, led a vigil attended by thousands in Trafalgar Square on Thursday evening, where he vowed “Londoners will never be cowed by terrorism”.

The manager of the Brighton hotel where Masood stayed the night before the attack said he had laughed and joked with staff, told them about his family, and claimed he was in the south coast town to visit friends.

World leaders condemned the attack and offered condolences. The US president, Donald Trump, spoke to May, promising the UK the full support of the US government in responding to the attack.

Leaders of Canada, France, Germany and Spain were among others who sent messages of solidarity.

The number of armed police on duty across London has been doubled, and the number of unarmed officers has also been increased; the number of armed officers across the rest of the UK has been boosted by a third.

A service took place at Scotland Yard on Thursday morning, in front of the flame that burns as a tribute to all dead Metropolitan police officers.

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Westminster attacker acted alone and motive may never be known, say police

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Westminster attacker acted alone and motive may never be known, say police

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After four days of intensive inquiries across England and Wales, involving hundreds of officers, the Metropolitan police said they had so far failed to establish the reason for the attack. It is continuing to look at whether Masood was prompted by online propaganda by Islamic State, which has claimed he was a “soldier”, or whether he had some other sense of grievance.

But deputy assistant Metropolitan police commissioner Neil Basu said: “We still believe that Masood acted alone on the day and there is no information or intelligence to suggest there are further attacks planned.”

The security services do not like the term “lone wolf”, feeling that it glamorises an attacker, and instead prefer “lone actor”. Although 11 people were arrested in the aftermath of the attack, nine have since been released, with no further action to be taken. A 58-year-old man arrested in Birmingham remained in custody on Saturday while a 32-year-old woman from Manchester has been released on bail.

Police are investigating media reports that Masood checked his encrypted messaging service WhatsApp – or even sent a message – just before the attack, which hinted at others being involved. The police statement confirming that he was a lone actor does not appear to support suggestions that he had been in touch with an accomplice.

Basu, who is the senior national coordinator for UK counter-terrorism policing, said: “Even if he acted alone in the preparation, we need to establish with absolute clarity why he did these unspeakable acts to bring reassurance to Londoners, and to provide answers and closure for the families of those killed and the victims and survivors of this atrocity.

“We must all accept that there is a possibility we will never understand why he did this. That understanding may have died with him.”

The police, having reconstructed the attack, said it had begun at 14:40:08 when Masood’s hire car mounted the pavement on Westminster Bridge, weaving along the footpath and road until 14:40:38 when he crashed into the perimeter fence of the Palace of Westminster.

He left the car at 14:40:51 and was shot by a police firearms officer, part of the close protection team of the defence secretary Sir Michael Fallon, in the palace courtyard at 14:41:30.

At 14:40:59, the first 999 call was made to the Met reporting the incident.

Basu said the investigation was continuing and appealed for anyone who had spoken to Masood in recent months, especially in the days leading up to the attack, to contact the police. They are still trying to establish whether he had been “inspired by terrorist propaganda or if others have encouraged, supported or directed him. If the latter proves to be the case, they will face justice.”

Ewen MacAskill

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Andreea Cristea was on holiday with Andrei Burnaz when he’s died

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Andreea Cristea was on holiday with Andrei Burnaz when he’s died

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Francisco Lopes said he could do little to defend himself and he’s injured

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Francisco Lopes said he could do little to defend himself and he’s injured

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March 22, 2017, in London a Muslim terrorists attacked innocent people in Westminster.
With an SUV came into the center with a knife and then killed 3 people, a policeman and wounded 50 people, of which 12 are still in hospital and one is still in the pharmaceutical coma

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http://www.bbc.com/news/uk-39363933

https://www.theguardian.com/uk-news/2017/mar/22/attack-houses-parliament-london-what-we-know-so-far

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=X_f-fAZ9h1s