15 August 2018•Update: 15 August 2018
By Ahmet Gurhan Kartal
LONDON
Local media identified the man arrested over Tuesday’s suspected terror attack outside British parliament as Salih Khater, a 29-year-old British citizen of Sudanese descent.
The suspect is reported to have driven from his home city, Birmingham, to the capital Monday night and drove around the city’s busy streets, including the Tottenham Court Road until the morning hours.
Armed police rushed to the scene just after the incident took place, shortly after 7.30 a.m. Tuesday morning, said Neil Basu, the assistant commissioner for counter-terrorism.
The suspect was arrested “on suspicion of terrorism” after he crashed his car into security barriers.
British counter-terrorism police raided addresses in Birmingham and Nottingham since the incident, including Khater's apartment.
A car crashed into protective barriers after colliding with some pedestrians and cyclists. At least 3 people were treated by emergency services after the crash.
“We are treating it as a terrorist incident,” Basu said in a statement a few hours after the incident.
Security barriers have been in place as part of enforced security around the parliament building after a terror attack last year which killed five people and injured up to 50 others.
In a terrorist attack in March 2017, Khalid Masood, 52, killed four people on Westminster Bridge when he mowed pedestrians down, before stabbing a police officer who was on duty in front of parliament.
The police have yet to confirm whether the suspect under arrest is Khater or not.
