Wrapping up the liveblog
We’re winding down the liveblog for today, although if there are any major developments overnight we will keep you updated here.
- Police have appealed for those who knew Khalid Masood to come forward as they try to establish whether he acted alone. A major investigation is underway and 10 people are in custody following raids and searches on properties in London, Birmingham, Manchester, Wales, Surrey and Brighton.
- Details emerged of Masood’s complicated backstory, which includes multiple names, several convictions and a nomadic lifestyle.
- Seventeen people remain in hospital, and one person remains in a life-threatening condition. The death toll in the attack stands at five including Masood after Leslie Rhodes, 75, died of his injuries overnight.
- The Guardian has identified Masood’s half-brother, who gave an interview describing the 2005 London terror attacks as his “worst day at work”.
If you’re just catching up on the day’s developments, see the afternoon summary for the key events.
Updated
Masood's half-brother says 2005 London attacks were his 'worst day at work'
Khalid Masood’s siblings have gone on to have very different careers. Alex Ajao, his half-brother, is an account director at the Berlin office of an international marketing agency, who has worked with clients including Ferrari, Volkswagen and the Daily Telegraph. Employees at the company’s offices on Friday said they had been instructed not to speak to the press.
Asked about his “worst day at work” in a 2006 Q&A interview with Marketing Week, Ajao recounted his experience of the London tube bombing:
“7th July 2005 – I was on a train from Kings Cross to an internet forum I was co-chairing in Halifax which left at about 8am. News filtered through about what was going on in town, but by the time it had the phone network had gone into meltdown meaning I couldn’t contact any friends. [...] I ended up chairing a meeting for which I was half prepared, whilst my mind was about 200 miles away.”
Forensic officers used wooden sticks to search through grass and debris outside a house that was raided by anti-terror police in Birmingham. Police took away a “smirking man” during the armed raid at the property, which was streets away from where Khalid Masood allegedly lived with his wife and young child.
Officers shone torches into air vents below and searched through foliage at the three-storey property in Winson Green, where a man of “Saudi” appearance was reportedly arrested early on Thursday.
Following the raid police seized three vehicles. The red Renault Kangoo van and two cars – a white Ford Ka and a silver BMW estate – were taken away on recovery trucks. Shortly afterwards, police officers emerged from the property carrying a plastic box.
The house is on the same estate as a three-storey townhouse thought to have been occupied by London terrorist Khalid Masood. The 52-year-old is believed to have lived just two streets away in Quayside with his wife and young child.
Residents said armed officers had forced their way in to the property at about 6.30am on Thursday.
One local, who asked not to be named, said: “A Saudi Arabian man lived at the address with his wife and four children, all aged under 15. He had been living there less than a year.”
The property raided was a housing association property and a short distance from Winson Green prison.
The neighbour added: “Police have been in my garden and have been searching. There was nothing unusual about the family, I used to see the dad going over to the park. He would regularly feed the birds. But I would very rarely see him with his wife or kids. The police have been here the whole time, in and out.”
Another neighbour, Shekila Sahota, said a man, thought to be in his 40s or 50s, had lived at the address with several young women for about a year.
“They were very, very quiet people and I never saw them together. But he used to make a lot of trips up and down the road and he sold cars from here,” she said. “The police knocked the door in at about 6.30am and you could hear them shouting ‘Open’ and ‘Clear’ and ‘Get down’.
“The man they led away was put in the van straight away and he had a big smirk on his face when they took him away.”
Raveena Rull, who also witnessed the raid, said: “It was really scary – there were guns everywhere. You don’t know what’s going on and it’s just mad. He was smiling as he was arrested with the whole road blocked off.”
On Friday afternoon a large police presence remained at the scene with officers searching the surrounding area.
Updated
A pro-Europe march will go ahead tomorrow in central London as planned, its organisers Unite for Europe have said, despite concerns about holding a major political protest so soon after the Westminster attacks.
Dan Roberts has the story:
Seventeen people are still being treated for their injuries in five London hospitals, NHS England has confirmed. Two of those are in critical condition, according to the Metropolitan police, with one person’s injuries considered life-threatening.
More than 50 people, from at least 12 nationalities, were injured in Masood’s attack on Westminster Bridge, of whom 31 initially required hospital treatment.
Afternoon summary
It’s Alice Ross here, taking over from Nadia. A round-up of this afternoon’s developments:
- The first photos of Westminster attacker Khalid Masood have emerged. A photo of Masood, then known as Adrian Ajao, at school has been discovered, while the Met police published a more recent photo as part of an appeal for more information on him.
- More details of Masood’s life have been unearthed. Police and reporters have been piecing together the Westminster attacker’s final hours and complicated backstory, which includes multiple names, a violent criminal past and a nomadic lifestyle. A schoolfriend described him as a “smashing guy”, while an acquaintance from 2000 said he was “troubled”.
- Police have made 11 arrests in Birmingham, Manchester and east London. Ten people remain in custody and police seized vehicles in Manchester and West Didsbury.
- Masood was on WhatsApp minutes before the attack. The Guardian has confirmed Masood checked the app moments before ploughing through pedestrians on Westminster bridge.
- A Romanian man caught in the attacks planned to propose to his girlfriend that day. Instead both Andrei Burnaz and his girlfriend, Andreea Cristea, were injured on Westminster Bridge, seriously in her case. She remains unconscious, although her condition has stabilised, the Romanian ambassador told the BBC.
- The government has urged social media companies to do more to tackle extremism online. The PM’s spokesman said he was not necessarily referring to Masood’s case but companies have a responsibility to ensure their platforms aren’t used to spread extremist material.
- Westminster remains under tight security for a third day. Huge armoured personnel carriers were photographed near parliament as heightened security measures remain in place.
- Muslim, Christian and Jewish leaders held a minute’s silence in Westminster. Several of the UK’s most prominent religious leaders condemned the attack and called for interfaith solidarity.
Updated
Westminster terrorist Khalid Masood appears to have used the Whatsapp messaging service minutes before launching the attack at the gates of parliament. A number registered to one of his previous addresses reveals he was last seen on Wednesday at 2.37pm. Emergency services started to receive reports of the attack at 2.40pm.
Travis Frain, a student from Darwen in Lancashire who was injured in Wednesday’s attack, has shared a photo of Prince Charles at his bedside from the prince’s visit to the wounded at King’s College hospital, south London, this afternoon.
Just a quick update guys. Massive thanks to @KingsCollegeNHS and to @ClarenceHouse for visiting today. #londonattack pic.twitter.com/e0tVHJhse9
— Travis Dylan Frain (@travisfrain) March 24, 2017
Frain, 18, was leaving parliament with fellow students from Edge Hill university, Ormskirk, when he was hit by Khalid Masood’s car. His mother Angela Frain told the Guardian yesterday he was in good spirits.
Updated
Detectives appear to have concluded searching a three-storey townhouse where counter-terrorism police made a “significant” arrest on Friday morning.
Officers in blue forensic suits were seen carefully searching through the 35-year-old unnamed man’s £350,000 property in one of Manchester’s most affluent suburbs.
One resident, who lived inside the small gated complex of flats and houses in West Didsbury, said: “It’s strange to think someone has been arrested here for what happened... it’s a nice gated complex with families, kids and professionals living here.”
Greater Manchester police scenes of crime officers later removed a grey Mazda 3 car on a flatbed lorry.
Car taken away from Manchester address where a 35 year old man was arrested in "significant" anti-terror swoop pic.twitter.com/sA0cCweevC
— Josh Halliday (@JoshHalliday) March 24, 2017
Two police cars and tactical aid unit still at West Didsbury address where "significant" terrorism arrest was made re Westminster attack pic.twitter.com/WJSD3XjneA
— Josh Halliday (@JoshHalliday) March 24, 2017
Updated
Leaders of Britain’s Christian, Muslim and Jewish communities came together to condemn Wednesday’s attack in Westminster and to speak of inter-faith friendship and solidarity.
Against the sound of an overhead helicopter and sirens around the Palace of Westminster, Justin Welby, the archbishop of Canterbury, Vincent Nichols, the Catholic archbishop of Westminster, Sheikh Ezzat Khalifa of the Sunni Muslim community, Sheikh Mohammad al-Hilli of the Shia Muslim community, and Ephraim Mirvis, the chief rabbi led a minute’s silence outside Westminster Abbey for those who died.
Two days after the attack, “we are all still deeply shocked and beginning the process of thinking about the consequences and the future,” said Welby. “This is a moment of sad reflection but also a moment of determination for our nation.”
The chief rabbi said that terrorists sought “to instil fear and terror into the hearts and minds of millions” and to divide people and faiths against one another. “We stand here as leaders of Christianity, Islam and Judaism, we have come here in friendship... No person or no event will drive a wedge between us.”
Sheikh al-Hilli said the attack was “heinous and appalling”, but said he had “witnessed a tremendous feeling of support from British people in the past few days”.
At the end of the minute’s silence, the faith leaders embraced one another.
Afterwards, Welby told the Guardian he was concerned about a possible rise in Islamophobia in the aftermath of the attack. “This has been a pattern in the past... But there is no way that returning violence for violence has ever been successful or a good thing... It is not appropriate to feel anger at a whole category of people.”
Updated
Big armoured police personnel carriers are parked on a street leading to parliament.
Updated
Mak Chishty, a commander at the Metropolitan police and the force’s lead on hate crime, visited Birmingham’s central mosque on Friday to reassure Muslims and appeal for information about Khalid Masood, who lived in the city in the run-up to the attack.
Chishty, who grew up nearby in the suburb of Small Heath, said: “This is difficult to say, but this person has carried out an attack, whether from Birmingham, Bradford or Glasgow it doesn’t matter. He is part of a community. He must have friends, neighbours, local newsagents. Most Muslims have a mosque. So he must have been somewhere. And when people are of that mind, when they have been radicalised, I think we all have to come together as a team… If you suspect something, no matter how small, tell us.”
Any reports would be treated in strictest confidence and could be made anonymously, he said. He insisted the London attack was “not an intelligence failure” but something which could have been prevented if ordinary people had reported worrying signs displayed by Masood.
“Just imagine if somebody somewhere had told us something that may have made us do something differently. Five people may still have been alive today and we may have been able to prevent it.”
He also urged Muslims to report hate crime. “If anyone starts saying anything to you because of your religious dress, your language, the way you look, going to mosque, no matter how small, report it. No matter how small, even if they look at you differently and you perceive it because they are thinking you are a Muslim, report it,” he said. “The problem we have it’s underreported, so we don’t understand the times, the hotspots where it’s happening. If we don’t understand that we can’t put officers there to stop it.”
Updated
New police recruits have held a minute’s silence in memory of PC Palmer.
The Met’s acting commissioner, Craig Mackey, led new policemen and policewomen in paying their respects at a passing-out parade in Hendon, north-west London. He told the recruits:
This has been an awful week for London and for the police family you’re joining.
We are mourning the loss of a brave officer, PC Keith Palmer, who died protecting parliament and our democracy.
At moments like this, rare though they are, it is natural to be afraid and to despair in the inhuman violence we have seen.
But it is at moments like this that we truly appreciate the strength of the policing family.
Helping, supporting, running to the aid of an injured colleague and putting others before ourselves; showing them courage and compassion we humbly call our values.
The minute silence was followed by the sounding of the Last Post.
Updated
US tourist Staci Martin took what is believed to be the last photo with PC Palmer. “He was very much a gentleman, very polite and he came up and took a picture,” she said.
Staci Martin took what is believed to be the last photo with PC Keith Palmer - who gave up his life to protect Parliament - before he died pic.twitter.com/qy1paZkwEZ
— 5News (@5_News) March 24, 2017
Updated
More light has been shed on the two Greeks Theresa May said were among those injured in the attack.
A spokesman at the Greek embassy in London has just confirmed that only one member of the middle-aged couple was injured in the attack.
“We have spoken to them today and can confirm that although they went to the hospital, five or six hours after the attack, only one, the woman, had sustained very minor injuries,” the embassy’s press attaché Alexis Georgiades told the Guardian. “She was not hit by the car but fell [in the commotion].
“They are both well and today will leave London to continue their holiday here in the UK.”
Theresa May had sparked consternation and surprise in Athens when she announced in parliament that two Greeks were among those injured in the attack.
The Greek foreign ministry had initially said that none of its citizens were among those injured.
Updated
Police release new image of Masood
The Met have released a new image of Khalid Masood.
Officers investigating #Westminster attack release image of Khalid Masood in appeal for... https://t.co/oeCxG4rppU pic.twitter.com/FVBi8L1Mtd
— Metropolitan Police (@metpoliceuk) March 24, 2017
Detectives are continuing to search two addresses in Birmingham and one in east London. A total of 11 people have been arrested as part of this investigation.
A 39-year-old woman [A] was arrested at an address in east London on suspicion of preparation of terrorist acts. She has since been released on bail until a date in late March.
A 21-year-old woman [B] and a 23-year-old man [C] were arrested at an address in Birmingham.
A 26-year-old woman [D] and three men aged 28, 27 and 26 years old [E, F, G], were arrested at a separate address in Birmingham.
All six [B-G] were arrested on suspicion of preparation of terrorist acts.
All seven arrests [A-G] were made overnight on Wednesday 22 March.
A 58-year-old man [H] was also arrested on the morning of Thursday 23 March at a separate address in Birmingham on suspicion of preparation of terrorist acts.
A 27-year-old man [I] was arrested late on Thursday 23 March at an address in Birmingham and a 35-year-old man [J] was arrested in the early hours of Friday 24 March at an address in Manchester.
A 32-year-old woman [K] was arrested on the morning of Friday 24 March at a location in Manchester. All three [I-K] were arrested on suspicion of preparation of terrorist acts
Ten people [B-K] remain in police custody. Nine [B-J] were detained under TACT and one [K] was detained under PACE.
Updated
Alice Williams, landlady of the Rose and Crown pub in the village of Beckley, near Rye, where Masood would sometimes drink, described him as “intelligent but odd”.
“He was very intelligent but always slightly sinister,” Williams said. “He would do the Telegraph crossword and, to be fair, would make intelligent conversation but he was a bit racist.”
Williams said she wasn’t surprised about the attack. “He always had a chip on his shoulder. I’m surprised he became quite that extreme. There was obviously something going on in his head at the time but he was an intelligent man. He would come in when the other pub was closed. He wasn’t a heavy drinker. He was just sinister and quirky.”
Police seize three vehicles after armed raid in Birmingham
Three vehicles have been seized by police after an armed raid in Birmingham.
A van and two cars were taken away on recovery trucks from a three-storey home in Winson Green, where a man was reportedly arrested by police early on Thursday.
The house, which is still being examined by search teams, is on the same estate as a three-storey townhouse thought to have been occupied by Khalid Masood.
A white Ford Ka, a silver BMW estate car and a red Renault Kangoo were recovered from the scene on Friday afternoon, shortly after police officers emerged from the property carrying a plastic box, the Press Association reported.
Residents said armed officers had forced their way in to the property at about 6.30am on Thursday.
One neighbour, Shekila Sahota, said a man, thought to be in his 40s or 50s, had lived at the address with several young women for about a year. “They were very, very quiet people and I never saw them together. But he used to make a lot of trips up and down the road and he sold cars from here,” she said. “The police knocked the door in at about 6.30am and you could hear them shouting ‘Open’ and ‘Clear’ and ‘Get down’.
“The man they led away was put in the van straight away and he had a big smirk on his face when they took him away.”
Raveena Rull, who also witnessed the raid, said: “It was really scary - there were guns everywhere. You don’t know what’s going on and it’s just mad. He was smiling as he was arrested with the whole road blocked off.”
Updated
Sadiq Khan has posted some photos after meeting staff from London’s ambulance service and the fire brigade.
This morning I met @Ldn_Ambulance control room staff who managed the response to Wednesday’s attack. They did an incredible job. pic.twitter.com/4Us1VmrBHz
— Sadiq Khan (@SadiqKhan) March 24, 2017
I also visited @LondonFire Brigade HQ and met first responders. Their swift reactions on Wednesday saved lives. pic.twitter.com/dswb6i0qJD
— Sadiq Khan (@SadiqKhan) March 24, 2017
Updated
Prince Charles is visiting victims of the Westminster terror attack, as well as paramedics and staff, at King’s College hospital.
King’s treated eight people initially, two of whom have since been discharged, and of the remaining six, one has died – 75-year-old Leslie Rhodes.
Updated
Stuart Knight, who went to school with Ajao at Huntleys, discovered on Friday that the teenager he had known as a bright, sport-loving and popular pupil, had become the Westminster attacker.
Knight, who runs a butchers in Tunbridge Wells told the Guardian: “I am really, really shocked. He was in my class. He was a smashing guy, really nice chap. The picture of us in the football team was after we did a 24-hour sponsored football match to raise money for the sports hall.
“We would have been about 14 years old. Everyone got on with Adrian, he was a lovely bloke. I am really shocked. He was a bright student. He loved sport. He was in the rugby team.”
Knight said Ajao’s family – his mother Janet and step father Phillip – were a great family.
Ajao – who took his stepfather’s surname after his mother’s marriage – left Huntleys School at 16 and Knight lost touch with him.
Updated
A public rally has been organised in Birmingham tomorrow.
A great idea 👏🏻 #Birmingham's #Muslim community has called a #NotInOurName public rally against terrorism, Victoria Square, tomorrow at 1pm pic.twitter.com/whD9NuRnXW
— HOPE not hate (@hopenothate) March 24, 2017
Speaking to Sky News on Friday, Sabeur Toumi, the manager of Preston Park Hotel in Brighton, where Khalid Masood stayed the night before Wednesday’s attack in Westminster, describes him as a friendly and normal guest.
The Romanian woman who fell into the Thames during the Westminster attack is now in a stable condition, the Romanian ambassador Dan Mihalache told BBC News. Andreea Cristea, a 29-year-old architect, was knocked off the bridge as Khalid Masood’s car ploughed through pedestrians. Her boyfriend Andrei Burnaz sustained a fractured foot in the attack.
Cristea has not regained consciousness, but she has had an operation for a blood clot on her brain and her lungs are starting to clear, the ambassador said. Burnaz “intended to ask her for marriage the same day,” Mihalache said.
Updated
Faith leaders to hold vigil at Westminster Abbey today
Faith leaders will be holding a vigil for the victims of Wednesday’s attack at the North Gate, North Green at Westminster Abbey at 14.15pm this afternoon.
Following brief messages from the leaders, there will be a minute’s silence. The principals are:
- Archbishop of Canterbury, the Most Rev Justin Welby
- Chief Rabbi Ephriam Mirvis
- Sheikh Ezzat Khalifa
- Sheikh Mohammad al-Hilli
- Sheikh Qari Asim
- Cardinal Vincent Nichols, Archbishop of Westminster
Updated
Birmingham Central Mosque has seen an increase in Islamophobic hate crime since the London attacks, according to Makhdoom Ahmad Chishti, the mosque chair. “We have had quite a lot of emails, hate mail, since Wednesday. They say ‘get out of our country’ and ‘mosques don’t belong here’, that sort of thing,” he told the Guardian. They are used to the abuse, however: “We just laugh it off and forward it to the police.”
Birmingham was drawn into the terror investigation when it emerged Khalid Masood had lived in the city and hired the car there that he used in the attack.
Police officers, including Mak Chishty, a commander with the Met who leads on hate crime, are expected to join Friday prayers at the mosque this lunchtime. The weekly service will begin with one minute’s silence at 12.30pm, before the imam delivers a sermon which promises to deal “solely” with the London terror attacks and their incompatibility with Islam.
A mosque official said they didn’t know Masood - “He wasn’t from Birmingham. You know more about him than we do,” he told the Guardian.
Updated
First picture of Khalid Masood (Adrian Ajao) emerges
The earliest picture of Adrian Ajao emerged on Friday.
Ajao is pictured in a photograph from his secondary school, Huntleys in Tunbridge Wells, which has since closed down.
Standing in the back row, Ajao has his hands folded in the team shot.
Ajao, who was born to his mother, Janet Elms, in 1964, changed his name to Ajao when she married and moved to Tunbridge Wells.
Ajao grew up in the town, and has two half brothers. The family attended a local church.
Updated
No 10 urges social media companies to do more to remove extremist material
At the No 10 lobby briefing this morning the prime minister’s spokesman urged social media companies to do more to remove extremist material from the internet. He told journalists:
The fight against terrorism and hate speech has to be a joint one. The government and security services are doing everything they can and it is clear that social media companies can and must do more.
Social media companies have a responsibility when it comes to making sure this material is not disseminated and we have been clear repeatedly that we think that they can and must do more. We are always talking with them on how to achieve that ... The ball is now in their court. We will see how they respond.
The spokesman stressed that he was making a general point, and that he was not necessarily saying online material was a factor in the radicalisation of Khalid Masood, the Westminster attacker. The spokesman would not discuss what factors may have led to Masood embracing violent extremism, saying that was a matter for the police investigation.
At the briefing the spokesman would not give details of what further action the government wanted companies like Facebook and Google to take.
He was speaking after this morning’s Daily Mail splashed on a story saying it took a reporter just two minutes to find a manual for using a car as a weapon online.
The spokesman also said that Theresa May has taken a series of calls this morning and yesterday from other leaders offering their condolences. In recent hours she has spoken to King Salman of Saudi Arabia, King Abdullah of Jordan, the Irish prime minister, Enda Kenny, the Scottish first minister, Nicola Sturgeon, the Japanese prime minister, Shinzo Abe, the South Korean president, Hwang Kyo-Ahn, and the Australian prime minister, Malcolm Turnbull.
Updated
The JustGiving page for the family of PC Palmer has raised more than £500,000 in the first 24 hours. The page, which was set up by the Metropolitan Police Federation, is now the largest and fastest growing JustGiving crowdfunding page in history.
The page raised over £4,000 in the first two hours. In just over six hours, more than 5,500 people had donated and it reached its initial £100,000 target. JustGiving also made a donation of £10,000 in solidarity with their community’s efforts.
Pages have also been set up for the families of Aysha Frade and the other victims who lost their lives or were injured.
Former army captain Mike Crofts describes his efforts to save PC Keith Palmer, the police officer who was fatally stabbed outside the Houses of Parliament on Wednesday.
Local newspaper report from 2000 reveals details of Masood's violent past
Masood was jailed for two years over an attack in the car park of the Crown and Thistle in Northiam, near Rye in East Sussex, in 2000, according to a news report at the time.
The Brighton Argus reported that Masood, who stood trial as Adrian Elms, “left Piers Mott with a three-inch gash on his left cheek” requiring 20 stitches after an altercation with “racial overtones”.
Mott has since died, but his widow, Heather Mott, today told the Press Association her husband “was defending someone who was working for him. I don’t know how it happened. Piers was just defending this guy.”
The Argus’ report of the case at Hove crown court said Masood, then Elms, was jailed after admitting charges of unlawful wounding and criminal damage.
It told how, after a row inside the pub where Elms had drunk four pints of beer, he went out and damaged Mott’s car with the knife, before turning on the vehicle’s owner after he came outside. Elms used a knife he had been decorating his daughter’s room with at the family home, the report said.
Adrian Baker, 51, who has lived in Northiam for 25 years, told the Press Association Elms was known as a troubled character. “I’m gobsmacked. He didn’t appear to be very religious. He would go into the local pubs,” Baker said.
“I do remember a fracas involving a guy called Piers Mott. This was a long time ago. I remember Elms being a bit of a troubled character, which is probably the best way to describe him. He got into a bit of trouble. Piers was a really nice guy, an older chap who didn’t deserve to get stabbed. I wasn’t in the pub at the time but heard about it. Adrian Elms didn’t have a very good reputation.”
The Argus report also quoted defence barrister Alexander Taylor-Camara as saying: “When the defendant moved to the area it was to try to give his family and himself a better and more tranquil way of life. He particularly chose an area such as this village because of the lifestyle and people there.”
Updated
Masood was 'laughing and joking' on final night, hotel manager says
Sky News have also visited the hotel room where Masood spent his last night and spoken with the hotel manager. “He had just stayed with us on 17 March, a Friday night, for one night and returned on Tuesday as a normal guest,” the manager said.
We thought nothing of him as he has a history of staying here as a guest. He had a chat [on Tuesday] about rates. He was staying as a returning guest and he was very friendly, laughing and joking. He gave his telephone number and car registration plate and what type of car it was. He paid for his room with a credit card and went up, was very peaceful and we didn’t see him afterwards.
We found out after seeing him on the news on Wednesday, when we saw the picture of him during the event. We had some suspicion whether it was him and then it was confirmed by the police. Turning the clock back to Tuesday, when I was having a chat with him, that’s very very shocking and stressful.
My staff were very upset this morning. I tried to calm them down, but it is very shocking because these days you don’t know who is the bad ones and who is the good ones.
We never thought anything of him. He was just another guest who checked into the hotel. He gave us an address in Birmingham but he had a southern accent so we talked about where he was from, talked about his family. He said his dad is ill and his mum is upset because his dad is ill. He talked about his wife and said he had some wonderful children. He was a normal and in fact friendly guy.
We spent five to 10 minutes talking to him about his background and what he was doing in Brighton. He said he was visiting friends in Brighton. I can’t remember if he mentioned London.
The police have been in the room and swabbed for DNA and evidence, taking away the trouser press and toilet roll.
"A normal guest. Friendly" The Brighton hotel room where #London terror killer Khalid Masood spent his last night before #Westminster attack pic.twitter.com/FW22ClZBgT
— Sky News (@SkyNews) March 24, 2017
Updated
The manager of the hotel in Brighton where Masood stayed before the attack said he was joking and smiling when he checked in. “He was a very friendly person, actually the receptionist said ‘he’s a lovely guest, I like him’. We looked after him like everybody else, he checked in, he had a double room, and the next day checked out peacefully.”
EXCLUSIVE: Brighton hotel manager says Westminster attacker Khalid Masood was "joking and smiling" and "checked out peacefully" pic.twitter.com/sxgbSQnJmP
— BBC South East (@bbcsoutheast) March 24, 2017
Updated
A man has been arrested in one of Manchester’s most affluent suburbs in connection with the London terror attacks, an MP has confirmed.
Jeff Smith, Labour MP for Manchester Withington, told the Guardian that police had confirmed that a man had been arrested in West Didsbury in the south of the city. He believed the arrested man was 35, he said.
West Didsbury is home to many of Manchester’s young professionals, thanks to its abundance of cafes, bars and restaurants. Most of the characters in ITV’s Cold Feet live in the area.
Here are some photos from Westminster this morning.
This morning the Met’s Mark Rowley spoke of two “significant arrests” overnight, bringing the number of people in custody to nine.
One arrest is understood to have been in Manchester, the other in the West Midlands.
The chief constable of Greater Manchester police, Ian Hopkins, said: “The community in Greater Manchester are very supportive of the police and preventing people from being radicalised. They are quick to condemn terrorism.”
The Greater Manchester police area has an ethnic minority population of 17%, and sizeable Muslim communities.
Updated
Former Met commissioner Sir Bernard Hogan-Howe has praised acting commissioner Craig Mackey’s leadership after questions were risen over his actions immediately after the attack on Wednesday.
Mackey witnessed part of the attack but was driven away from the scene, and the Daily Mail quoted some former officers who wondered why he did not stay to help. Mackey said he was taken from the scene because he was a witness, including to part of the attack that killed PC Keith Palmer. “As with all police officers, I therefore had a duty to secure my evidence before resuming my role leading our response,” he said.
In a message to staff, Hogan-Howe said:
I just wanted to let the Met know that I am thinking of you all right now.
I particularly want to send my condolences to the family of PC Keith Palmer, horribly murdered bravely defending parliament.
I am also thinking of the officers who were injured, some I know very seriously. And of course the poor members of the public so tragically murdered or still suffering life-changing injuries.
I know I am no longer commissioner but didn’t want you to think I had forgotten you all. I still care a great deal for you and know the great challenges you face day and night and the magnificent way you have responded over the last 24 hours under the excellent leadership of Craig Mackey.
Updated
One of Leslie Rhodes’ neighbours kept a bedside vigil for him at King’s College hospital.
Michael Carney, 74, had known Rhodes for around 40 years. “My wife and my two girls went up there and were with him until he died, playing him music. He liked Queen and that,” he told the Press Association. “He had no one. You can’t have someone dying on their own... What harm did he ever do to anyone? He was the nicest man you ever met.”
Updated
Michael Petersen, a businessman who encountered Masood hours before the attack at the reception desk of the Preston Park Hotel in Brighton, has told Sky News he was smiling and came across as polite.
Petersen said there was nothing about the attacker that would have suggested he was “on his way to do something quite atrocious”. He said:
I noticed a very polite demeanour from the killer, and there is nothing in his conduct that would make me have any suspicious thoughts towards him.
I remember he was roughly my height, very white teeth, smiling, articulate, polite. But all I saw of him would have been about 10/15 seconds.
He said the shocking realisation was that “you can stand next to somebody that is totally, perfectly, normal - articulate, polite, presentable, and the guy’s on his way to commit mass murder.”
Brendan Cox, the widow of murdered MP Jo Cox, and Mike Haines, whose brother David was murdered by Isis, have recorded a joint message for Hope Not Hate.
Stand together to spread a message of hope with @MrBrendanCox and Mike Haines, whose brother David was murdered by ISIS. #HopeNotHate pic.twitter.com/I3Q6iW0dnx
— HOPE not hate (@hopenothate) March 23, 2017
The London ambulance service have posted a video of Sadiq Khan arriving to meet staff who were working on Wednesday.
Our Ops Director & Chief Exec have welcomed @MayorofLondon to meet some of our control room & front line staff who were working Wednesday pic.twitter.com/8IEwPZ17sG
— London Ambulance (@Ldn_Ambulance) March 24, 2017
Hundreds of extra firearms personnel are on hand around the country.
Scotland Yard’s head of counter-terrorism, Mark Rowley, said the service would sustain an “enhanced” armed and unarmed presence over the next few days.
In London the number of armed officers remains at near double strength, while there are up to a third more on duty in other parts of the UK.
Essex police have implemented additional armed patrols across the county, while West Yorkshire has implemented an “uplift” in the capability of armed response vehicles.
Nationally the armed policing strength is being boosted by 1,500 personnel.
The most recent figures available showed there were 5,639 authorised firearms officers in forces across England and Wales as of the end of March last year.
Updated
Leslie Rhodes, one of the people killed in the attack, is thought to have been visiting a nearby hospital when he was run over by the car.
Rhodes, 75, was a retired window cleaner from south London. He suffered serious injuries and died in hospital a day later.
On Friday neighbours paid tribute to Rhodes as “a lovely man” and said he had been “as fit as a fiddle” despite his age.
“We’d known him for 24 years,” Philip Williams, 61, told the Press Association. “He was a lovely man. He would do anything for anybody. And it’s such a shock.”
Williams said Rhodes was not married and had no children. He said he had been told by neighbours who went to see him before he died that Rhodes was attending the hospital and may have been coming from or going to a bus stop nearby when he was hit.
“I’ve been told he was at the hospital, St Thomas’, and he went by public transport and he was apparently crossing the bridge when this car hit him. I’ve been told he was hit in the midriff. He had many broken bones. Apparently he went into a coma straight away.”
Updated
Mike Crofts, a former army captain, speaks about trying to save PC Palmer’s life.
.@mike_crofts fought to save PC Keith Palmer's life after the Westminster attack. Find 8 mins in your day to watch his powerful interview. pic.twitter.com/sBKLYxIrRj
— BBC Breakfast (@BBCBreakfast) March 24, 2017
Sajid Javid, the minister for communities and local government, has written an opinion piece in the Times about the Westminster attack.
Javid says that it now “falls to all of us” to continue the spirit of defiance and show we will not be divided. “It doesn’t matter where you’re from, where your parents were born or what god, if any, you worship. In this country we are all part of one society, one community,” he writes.
Updated
Andrew Neil’s rousing tribute to PC Keith Palmer and message to terrorists is being shared widely on social media today.
"Yes, you have the power to hurt us. Sometimes the hurt is more than we can bear. But you cannot defeat us" says @afneil opening #bbctw pic.twitter.com/VXGWb51kfL
— BBC This Week (@bbcthisweek) March 24, 2017
It was a typically busy day in the emergency department at King’s College hospital when Dr Emer Sutherland started receiving text messages from relatives and friends.
They were the first indication of the scale of the horror unfolding just two miles down the road in Westminster. Within minutes, she and her colleagues were on major alert and preparing to receive the first of many critically injured casualties.
“We are a major trauma centre so we are used to dealing every day with majorly injured patients, such as people who have been hit by a car or stabbed,” said Sutherland, who is the consultant clinical lead for the hospital’s A&E department.
But even for her, a highly experienced A&E doctor, it had an impact. “It’s always emotional when you are working on a day like that. Trauma cases are always emotional because you have to quickly treat someone who’s critically injured and who might die.”
The full statement from Scotland Yard this morning:
UPDATE: Latest statement on Westminster terrorist attack https://t.co/xpbmHEqhGu pic.twitter.com/ztQfy8mouJ
— Metropolitan Police (@metpoliceuk) March 24, 2017
The police investigation is being led by SO15, Scotland Yard’s counter-terrorism command. It is called Operation Classific.
So far as part of the inquiry, 2,700 items have been seized, 3,500 witness statements taken, five searches are ongoing, and 16 searches have concluded.
Francisco Lopes, 26, was left with serious leg injuries after being hit by the attacker’s car on Wednesday in Westminster. Speaking to ITV News in a video posted on Friday, Lopes said he has “been given a new life” and has been “born again”.
Updated
Labour MP Chuka Umunna has paid tribute to his constituent Leslie Rhodes, the fourth victim of the attack.
1/2 Deeply saddened to hear that my constituent Leslie Rhodes has died from the injuries he sustained in Wednesday's shocking & awful attack
— Chuka Umunna (@ChukaUmunna) March 24, 2017
2/2 The thoughts and prayers of all our community are with Mr Rhodes' family and friends - we can only imagine what they are going through
— Chuka Umunna (@ChukaUmunna) March 24, 2017
Mark Rowley took a handful of questions at the end of his briefing. One of them was about the actions of acting commissioner Craig Mackey immediately after the attack, to which Rowley responded:
Officer criticises "nonsense from armchair critics" when asked about actions of Met Police boss after London attackhttps://t.co/Ryvri8Arn4 pic.twitter.com/ydQAQqFA0y
— BBC News (UK) (@BBCNews) March 24, 2017
Members of London’s Muslim community have created a LaunchGood page to raise money for the victims of the Westminster attack.
The project, called Muslims Unite for London, has so far raised almost £18,000.
It was set up by Muddassar Ahmed who was in parliament when the attack happened and captured footage of the scene on his phone. Ahmed and others spent nearly five hours in the building as authorities secured the area.
He described the experience in an interview with ITV News on Wednesday evening.
The project was launched with MPs Naz Shah and Yasmin Qureshi. Organisers said:
The British Muslim community stands with all Britons and Londoners during these difficult times and extends their support in raising funds to help with the immediate, short-term needs of the families of Keith Palmer, the other victims and the families of the victims. While no amount of money will bring back lives lost or take away from the pain the victims and their families are going through, we hope to lessen their burden in some way. Though this is a Muslim-led campaign, we welcome contributions from our friends from other faiths and none.
Updated
According to reports around today, Masood claimed on his CV to have taught English in Saudi Arabia in 2005 and returned to the UK in 2009 when he became a “senior English teacher” at a TEFL college in Luton.
In 2012, he reportedly set up an English language tutoring business, named IQRA, based in Birmingham.
The Guardian has not been able to verify this. Mark Rowley would not be drawn into discussing details of Masood’s past during his briefing.
Updated
Rowley made a plea for information that could help with the investigation. He said:
We remain keen to hear from anyone who knew Khalid Masood well, understands who his associates were and can provide us with information about places he has recently visited. There might be people out there who did have concerns about Masood but did not feel comfortable for whatever reason in passing those concerns to us.
Rowley said at least 50 people were injured with 31 requiring hospital treatment.
Two people remain in a critical condition, with one considered to have life-threatening injuries.
He said the police investigation is focused on understanding Masood’s motivation, preparation and associates. “Our determination is to find out if he acted totally alone inspired by terrorist propaganda or if others encouraged or supported him.”
Rowley added that he understood why tragic events such as this generated questions about the security of parliament, and that the current system was proportionate but not overly intrusive. “My team will work with parliamentary authorities to assess whether a different tone or balance is necessary,” he said.
Updated
Fourth victim named as 75-year-old Leslie Rhodes from Streatham
Scotland Yard’s top anti-terror officer Mark Rowley has just given a briefing.
- He named the 75-year-old man who died overnight as Leslie Rhodes from Streatham.
- He said Masood’s birth name was Adrian Russell Ajao.
-
He said two more “significant arrests” had been made in the West Midlands and north-west England.
Assistant Deputy Commissioner Mark Rowley: Sadly last
— Metropolitan Police (@metpoliceuk) March 24, 2017
night another man died in hospital, Leslie Rhodes, aged 75 #WestminsterAttack
A/Dep Cmsr Rowley: Two people remain in hospital in critical
— Metropolitan Police (@metpoliceuk) March 24, 2017
condition one with life threatening injuries #WestminsterAttack
A/Dep Cmsr Rowley: 2 officers who were injured in the attack also remain in hospital with significant injuries #WestminsterAttack
— Metropolitan Police (@metpoliceuk) March 24, 2017
A/Dep Cmsr Rowley: We named the dead terrorist as Khalid Masood - we now know his birth name was Adrian Russell Ajao #WestminsterAttack
— Metropolitan Police (@metpoliceuk) March 24, 2017
A/Dep Cmsr Rowley: We have Made 2 further arrests overnight in the West Midlands and North West - 9 remain in custody #WestminsterAttack
— Metropolitan Police (@metpoliceuk) March 24, 2017
Updated
Detectives are exploring Masood’s past. What we know is that he was born in Kent on Christmas Day and named Adrian Russell Ajao. Earlier reports said he was named Adrian Elms.
After leaving Kent, he spent periods living in London, Sussex and Luton, and most recently lived in Winson Green in the West Midlands.
Neighbour Iwona Romek said Masood was a keen gardener who lived in the modern mews house with his wife and young child. Romek, 45, said her experience of him was as a nice man: “I used to see him outside doing his garden. Never any trouble.”
She said the family moved out suddenly in December 2016.
Updated
What we know so far
The victims
- The number of fatalities has risen to four, after a 75-year-old man died in hospital on Thursday. He had been on life support since the attack. He has not been named.
- The three others killed have been identified as PC Keith Palmer, who was stabbed outside parliament; and Aysha Frade and Kurt Cochran, who died on Westminster bridge.
- Four people remain in hospital in a serious condition, one with life-threatening injuries.
- Thousands gathered in Trafalgar Square in central London on Thursday evening, where the mayor of London, Sadiq Khan, and the home secretary, Amber Rudd, said the capital would not be defeated.
The attacker
- Police have said that Khalid Masood was born in Kent on Christmas day 1964, and that this was not his birth name.
- He was born as Adrian Elms and converted to Islam.
- He had a number of convictions – for assaults, grievous bodily harm, possession of offensive weapons and public order offences – spanning 20 years, and had spent time in jail, though not for terrorist-related offences.
- Masood was previously known to MI5 was once investigated in relation to concerns about violent extremism, but was considered “a peripheral figure”, prime minister Theresa May said.
- The Sun reports today that Masood spent the night before the attack at the Preston Park hotel in Brighton. The Guardian has not been able to verify this.
The arrested
Eight people were arrested as a number of addresses were raided in London, Birmingham and elsewhere:
- A 39-year-old woman at an address in east London on suspicion of preparation of terrorist acts.
- A 21-year-old woman and a 23-year-old man at an address in Birmingham on suspicion of preparation of terrorist acts.
- A 26-year-old woman and three men aged 28, 27 and 26 at a separate address in Birmingham on suspicion of preparation of terrorist acts.
- A 58-year-old man at a separate address in Birmingham on suspicion of preparation of terrorist acts.
I’m now handing over the live blog to my colleague Nadia Khomami. Thanks for reading.
Updated
The man who photographed a Muslim woman walking past a victim of the Westminster terrorist attack has defended her and said the image has been “misappropriated”.
The photograph – showing a woman looking at her phone as a group of people gathered around an injured person on Westminster bridge – was used by some on social media to criticise the woman for an alleged lack of concern.
This photo taken by UK parliament today after the London terrorist attack could end up being one of the most iconic of our time #westminster pic.twitter.com/Xnq7ytJf93
— Tim Young (@TimRunsHisMouth) March 22, 2017
But Jamie Lorriman, the freelance photographer who took the picture, told Australia’s ABC that the series of images showed the woman’s distress:
The people who took on that picture are being rather selective. In the other picture in the sequence she looks truly distraught … personally I think she looks distressed in both pictures.
It’s wrong it’s been misappropriated in that way.
He told the ABC it was “impossible to know” what was going through the woman’s mind:
The look on the woman’s face, she’s horrified, she’s in the middle of a traumatic situation. She probably just wanted to get off the bridge.
I feel so sorry for the woman in the picture. If she’s seen this, she must feel awful.
Updated
Anti-Brexit march will go ahead on Saturday
The pro-EU march will go ahead in London on Saturday, organisers have insisted.
On Thursday evening, Stephen Dorrell, chair of European Movement UK, said it would not go ahead, citing the extra burden on police following Wednesday’s terror attack.
But Unite4Europe, the umbrella group that has organised the anti-Brexit protest, says the march will go ahead as planned:
We have spoken to the police and the GLA [Greater London Authority]. We can confirm that the march will go ahead. All plans remain the same.
We will only move to our contingency if the police are still investigating the crime scene come Saturday. Our contingency will include the same march start point and time (Park Lane, 11am) with an alternate end point nearby.
We will not be intimidated. We will stand in unity and solidarity. We will march on the heart of our democracy and reclaim our streets in honour and respect of those that fell yesterday.
We will be observing a minute of silence and remembrance at the start of the rally. We would encourage all attendees to bring with them some symbol of respect and to act in the appropriate fashion on the day.
European Movement UK has issued a clarification, saying that while the march will go ahead, it will not be participating:
We don’t want to increase the burden on the police at this difficult time.
Grieve says there are “plenty of examples” of criminals being radicalised in prison, as some have hypothesised Masood was:
Clearly the extent to which prisoners can radicalise each other is something which needs to be looked at.
But he says prisons have done a lot in recent years to try to tackle this, employing imams “to try to ensure the teaching of Islam in prisons is done in a proper way”.
Grieve agrees that security at parliament needs to be looked at, but adds:
It is worth bearing in mind that security wasn’t breached … he was stopped.
He cautions against calls to arm all police securing the parliamentary estate
The idea that arming all police is going to be a panacea and a solution to this problem may be mistaken … Everybody has known that the Palace of Westminster was a likely target … The person who tried to penetrate the security was prevented from doing so.
Updated
Dominic Grieve, former attorney general and now chair of the Commons intelligence and security select committee, is speaking on the BBC Today programme.
He says “there’s nothing to suggest” at the moment that anything could have been done to stop Masood’s attack before it happened.
Security services will be reviewing what they knew about him, Grieve says, as will the MPs’ committee.
But he says he has heard nothing to suggest it could have been avoided by intelligence services:
It’s really been a miracle that it hasn’t happened sooner.
The Sun has video, taken from within the Palace of Westminster, showing the prime minister being swiftly escorted to her car as the attack unfolded.
Theresa May was whisked away from parliament – where she is believed to have been in the voting lobby of the Commons – to Downing Street after the attacker, Khalid Masood, breached the security cordon of the parliamentary estate and fatally stabbed PC Keith Palmer. Masood was then shot dead by an armed officer.
The video – which is on the Sun’s website here – shows May escorted by several security officers, at least one of whom is armed, to a grey vehicle. She runs slightly as she approaches the car, which is then driven out of the grounds.
A voice can be heard shouting: “There is an incident … Do not go out … Stay in the car.”
Friday's front pages
Today’s front pages are still dominated by the terror attack, its fallout and the investigation into Khalid Masood.
The Guardian: Killed by a homegrown terrorist
GUARDIAN: Killed by a homegrown terrorist #tomorrowspaperstoday pic.twitter.com/NHu4rznRyk
— Neil Henderson (@hendopolis) March 23, 2017
The Sun: I’m off to London today
SUN EXCLUSIVE: I'm off to London today....it isn't what it used to be #tomorrowspaperstoday pic.twitter.com/5qRl3G19R2
— Neil Henderson (@hendopolis) March 23, 2017
The Times: Killer was Muslim convert
THE TIMES: Killer was Muslim convert #tomorrowspaperstoday pic.twitter.com/vM624eBKiH
— Neil Henderson (@hendopolis) March 23, 2017
The Daily Mail: Google, the terrorists’ friend
DAILY MAIL: Google, the terrorists' friend... #tomorrowspaperstoday pic.twitter.com/Tljvkx2UDe
— Neil Henderson (@hendopolis) March 23, 2017
The Telegraph: Killer escaped from MI5’s radar
THE DAILY TELEGRAPH FRONT PAGE: "Killer escaped from M15's radar" #skypapers pic.twitter.com/bWxhoJwelw
— Sky News (@SkyNews) March 23, 2017
The Mirror: Evil will not win
MIRROR: Evil will not win #tomorrowspaperstoday pic.twitter.com/MiixxF8V3a
— Neil Henderson (@hendopolis) March 23, 2017
The i: British attacker fell off MI5 radar
I: British attacker fell off MI5 radar #tomorrowspaperstoday pic.twitter.com/5LMKo4F8uq
— Neil Henderson (@hendopolis) March 23, 2017
The Financial Times: Homegrown Islamist named by police as Westminster attacker
FINANCIAL TIMES: Home-grown Islamist named by police as Westminster attacker #tomorrowspaperstoday pic.twitter.com/oq5J0lgggN
— Neil Henderson (@hendopolis) March 23, 2017
The attack was claimed on Thursday by Islamic State. The group has been selective with such statements, which are credible, and careful in its vocabulary.
Significantly, Isis described a “soldier” who responded to its “call”, indicating the group probably did not have prior contact with Masood before the killings.
The same terminology has been used to describe people such as Omar Mateen, who opened fire in a nightclub in Florida in June and claimed allegiance to Isis during the attack, and Mohamed Lahouaiej-Bouhlel, who drove a truck into a parade in Nice in July.
Other words tend to be used to describe attackers like those who made up the network responsible for attacks in Paris and Brussels last year. They, for the most part, were trained, commissioned and dispatched by Isis planners after spending time in Syria.
One aim of Isis is to give the impression of global reach. The statement of responsibility for the London attack was issued in Arabic, French and German as well as English. There are many reasons for this.
One is that the group needs to boost the flagging morale of its recruits and sympathisers in the Middle East and Europe, which has been sapped by months of military reverses. The Isis motto is: “To endure and expand.” It has done little of either recently.
Police are working to untangle the life – and multiple names – of Khalid Masood, report Rob Booth and Nazia Parveen:
The attacker, identified by police as Khalid Masood, born in Kent, was also a violent criminal convicted of multiple offences spanning 20 years, said Scotland Yard.
His offences included assaults, grievous bodily harm, possession of offensive weapons and public order offences. He had spent time in jail but not for terrorist-related offences, according to Amber Rudd, the home secretary.
As police began to unravel his complex life it was reported that Masood had a string of aliases and was said have to been born Adrian Elms in Kent in 1964.
He appears to have lived in the south of England – mainly in East Sussex – for many years before moving a number of times to addresses in London and Birmingham.
The 52-year-old’s first conviction was in November 1983 for criminal damage and his last conviction was in December 2003 for possession of a knife, said the Metropolitan police.
It also emerged that Masood had been previously known to MI5 although the prime minister said he had been considered “a peripheral figure” in relation to suspected Islamist terror threats.
Police say fourth victim has died
As a vigil was held in Trafalgar Square on Thursday evening, Scotland Yard confirmed that a fourth victim of the attack had died:
Detectives investigating the terrorist attack in Westminster on Wednesday 22 March can confirm that a 75-year-old man died tonight, Thursday 23 March.
The man had been receiving medical treatment in hospital following the attack and life support was withdrawn this evening.
Next of kin have been informed and are receiving support from specially trained family liaison officers.
The man has not been named. The other three victims have been identified as PC Keith Palmer, Aysha Frade and Kurt Cochran.
Khalid Masood, the perpetrator of the attack, also died.
Police are expected to deliver an update this morning, which could give more details on the attacker, the investigation and the arrests.
Officials have so far not confirmed widespread reports that Khalid Masood was born Adrian Elms, in Dartford, Kent, and later converted to Islam. Police had said it was highly likely that Masood was not his birth name and that he had used a number of aliases.
Opening summary
The victims
- The number of victims has risen to four, after a 75-year-old man died in hospital on Thursday. He had been on life support since the attack. He has not been named.
- The three others killed have been identified as PC Keith Palmer, who was stabbed outside parliament; and Aysha Frade and Kurt Cochran, who died on Westminster bridge.
- Four people remain in hospital in a serious condition, one with life-threatening injuries.
The attacker
- Police have said that Khalid Masood was born in Kent on Christmas day 1964, and that this was not his birth name.
- Multiple reports now say he was born as Adrian Elms and converted to Islam. This name has not been confirmed.
- He had a number of convictions – for assaults, grievous bodily harm, possession of offensive weapons and public order offences – spanning 20 years, and had spent time in jail, though not for terrorist-related offences.
- Masood was previously known to MI5 was once investigated in relation to concerns about violent extremism, but was considered “a peripheral figure”, prime minister Theresa May said.
- The Sun reports today that Masood spent the night before the attack at the Preston Park hotel in Brighton. The Guardian has not been able to verify this.
The arrested
Eight people were arrested as a number of addresses were raided in London, Birmingham and elsewhere:
- A 39-year-old woman at an address in east London on suspicion of preparation of terrorist acts.
- A 21-year-old woman and a 23-year-old man at an address in Birmingham on suspicion of preparation of terrorist acts.
- A 26-year-old woman and three men aged 28, 27 and 26 at a separate address in Birmingham on suspicion of preparation of terrorist acts.
- A 58-year-old man at a separate address in Birmingham on suspicion of preparation of terrorist acts.
