Westminster terror suspect is a British national
The suspected terrorist arrested in Westminster carrying knives has been identified by the British police as Khalid Mohamed Omar Ali, BBC reports.
The 27-year-old British national arrested near the House of the Parliament is now facing questions from the authorities whether he was about to stage an attack in central London.
Concerns about his behaviour were reported to police by at least one member of the Muslim community and led to a joint MI5 and Met police investigation. Ali was arrested by armed police close to the scene of the previous Westminster terrorist attack in March were five people lost their lives.
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The police added that knives had been “recovered from him” but said there was “no immediate known threat” as a result of the arrest.
Suspected terrorist arrested in Westminster armed with knives yesterday after being monitored by police and MI5 https://t.co/gZjo2dmCxU pic.twitter.com/Z5QtHPykLQ
— The Times of London (@thetimes) April 28, 2017
Counter-terrorism detectives questioned Ali on Friday, who is still being held in custody at a south London police station.
Knives on road in Westminster. Source: @TerrorEvents #Whitehall https://t.co/7SgCAQj0Zs pic.twitter.com/GpD3m57Ney
— Westmonster (@WestmonsterUK) April 27, 2017
He had been under surveillance for weeks by MI5 and the Metropolitan police over concerns he had been lured by violent extremism.
#Westminster Armed police have arrested a man allegedly carrying knives in the Parliamant St area of Westminster pic @3213dev pic.twitter.com/ITVWzPMn95
— London 999 Feed (@999London) April 27, 2017
The man is believed to be a UK national although he was born overseas and has studied in at a school in Tottenham. In 2010 Ali joined the Road to Hope convoy taking aid to Gaza.
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He is understood to have been a “lone actor”. Police also said that they had carried out two searches at addresses in London as part of their inquiries into Ali.
The UK remains at a severe level of terrorism alert, meaning an attack is highly likely. Ali’s arrest was followed five hours later by arrests in Willesden, north west London.
A woman has been shot during a raid on a house in Willesden, north-west London, another house raided in Kent and six people arrested, in an operation to foil what police said was an active terror plot. Neither operation was said to be linked to the arrest of Ali in Westminster.
Despite these two separate operations in the last 24 hours, officials have not ratcheted up the threat level to the highest status of “critical”, meaning an attack is imminent.
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