2017 Westminster attack
The 2017 Westminster attack was a terrorist attack which happened on 22 March in London, England. The attack took place on Westminster Bridge, in Parliament Square and within the grounds of the Palace of Westminster.[1]
| 2017 Westminster attack | |||||||||||||||
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| Part of Islamic terrorism in Europe (2014–present) | |||||||||||||||
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| Location | Westminster, London, United Kingdom | ||||||||||||||
| Coordinates | 51°30′03″N 0°07′19″W / 51.50083°N 0.12194°W | ||||||||||||||
| Date | 22 March 2017 14:40 (GMT (UTC)) | ||||||||||||||
Attack type | |||||||||||||||
| Weapons |
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| Deaths | 6 (4 pedestrians, 1 police officer, and the perpetrator) | ||||||||||||||
Injured | 49 | ||||||||||||||
| Perpetrator | Khalid Masood | ||||||||||||||
| Motive | Revenge for Western military action in the Middle East | ||||||||||||||
A Hyundai vehicle was driven into a crowd of people near the palace gates, and the attacker stabbed a police officer, who later died due to his injuries. Five people—including pedestrians on the bridge, the stabbed police officer and the attacker—were confirmed dead.[2][3][4]
It was the first and largest major attack to occur in London since the 7 July 2005 London bombings.[5] The motivation was suspected to be linked to Islamic terrorism.[6]
Attacker
changeThe attacker was identified by the Metropolitan Police as 52-year-old Briton Khalid Masood.[7] Born Adrian Russell Elms, possibly later changed to Adrian Russell Ajao.[8][9][10]
Local media report that in 2009 he underwent conversion to Islam while in prison, after which he changed his name to Khalid Masood. Police said he also used several other aliases, including Khalid Choudry.[8][11] Masood was born in Kent and detectives believe he was most recently living in the West Midlands.[12] Masood was reported to have been an English teacher or tutor in Saudi Arabia sometime between 2005 and 2009. Then he returned to the United Kingdom and worked as a teacher of English as a second language in Luton.[13]
Masood had been previously investigated by MI5, but Scotland Yard said that he was not the subject of any current investigations. There was no prior intelligence about his intent to mount a terrorist attack.[14] He had a range of previous convictions for assaults, including grievous bodily harm, possession of offensive weapons and public order offences going back to 1983. He had not been convicted of any terrorism offences. Pictures of Masood being treated by medics were shown by some news outlets.[15][16]
References
change- ↑ "Westminster attack: four confirmed dead including police officer and attacker - live". The Guardian. 22 March 2017. Retrieved 22 March 2017.
- ↑ "London attack - latest updates". BBC News. Retrieved 22 March 2017.
- ↑ "Parliament shooting: Woman dies in Westminster attack". BBC News. Retrieved 22 March 2017.
- ↑ Boyle, Danny; Evans, Martin. "Parliament shooting: Knifeman shot by police after charging through Westminster gates and stabbing officer". The Telegraph. Retrieved 22 March 2017.
- ↑ "Westminster attack: Car-and-knife rampage kills four". Al Jazeera. 22 March 2017. Retrieved 22 March 2017.
- ↑ "5 dead in London attacks, including police officer and attacker, British police say". Associated Press. London: WLS-TV. 22 March 2017. Archived from the original on 23 March 2017. Retrieved 23 March 2017.
- ↑ "London terror attack: Khalid Masood named by police as responsible for Westminster attack". The Guardian. 23 March 2017. Retrieved 23 March 2017.
- ↑ 8.0 8.1 "First pictures emerge of London terrorist".
- ↑ "Fourth victim in Westminster attack named". 24 March 2017. Retrieved 24 March 2017.
- ↑ "London attack: Westminster suspect identified as Adrian Russell Ajao". CNN. Retrieved 24 March 2017.
- ↑ Griffin, Andrew (23 March 2017). "Khalid Masood: London attacker was known to MI5 but had no terror convictions". Independent. Retrieved 23 March 2017.
- ↑ Brown, David; Swerling, Gabriella; Gibbons, Katie (23 March 2017). "Police search homes linked to criminal with a string of aliases". The Times. p. 2. ISSN 0140-0460.
- ↑ Grierson, Jamie; Dodd, Vikram; Laville, Sandra; Ross, Alice (24 March 2017). "Westminster attack: terrorist's final hours and violent past". The Guardian. ISSN 0261-3077. Retrieved 24 March 2017.
- ↑ Bilefsky, Dan. "London Attacker Identified as Khalid Masood". The New York Times. London. Retrieved 23 March 2017.
- ↑ "Attacker on WhatsApp before murders".
- ↑ "Westminster attack: First picture of suspect". Sky News. Retrieved 22 March 2017.