(Photo by Carl Court/Getty Images)
The man behind the London terrorist attack that injured at least 40 and killed three is believed to be Khalid Masood, 52. He was also known by the names of Adrian Elms and Adrian Russell Ajao. He has been IDd by Scotland Yard after ISIS claimed responsibility for the attack.
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What Happened?
Immediately before the incident around 2:45 P.M. London time, a crowd of was seen running from the direction of Westminster Bridge and around the corner into Parliament Square. It is now believed that Masood drove his car into the crowd before crashing his car into a gate at Parliament. He then got out of the vehicle and attacked people with a machete. The suspect stabbed and killed at least one police officer, Keith Palmer, during his rampage.
The two incidents took place outside of Parliament at the Palace of Westminster and on the Westminster bridge. Scotland Yard classified the latter event as a firearms incident. At least 40 people were injured and three were killed, including the suspect.
Eight have been arrested in connection with the attack follow police raids all across the UK.
Who Is Khalid Masood?
Masood, 52, was a British citizen who was investigated by MI5 over ‘violent extremism.’ He was a married father-of-three, an English teacher and a religious convert who was interested in bodybuilding.
Masood was born in Kent on December 25, 1964. He is believed to have been living in the West Midlands most recently. Masood had previously been convicted of violent offenses and was known by a number of aliases.
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Prime Minister Theresa May said early Thursday that the assailant was considered a “peripheral figure” and was no longer a primary focus of the intelligence community.
“Masood was not the subject of any current investigations and there was no prior intelligence about his intent to mount a terrorist attack,” the police said in a statement.
“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,” the statement continued.
“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.”
