‘Sudanese immigrant’ drove around for hours before hitting cyclists

A Sudanese immigrant known to police is thought to be behind another terror attack on Westminster after ploughing his car into 15 cyclists outside Parliament.

Salih Khater, 29, veered off the road careering into pedestrians and cyclists at Parliament Square, after spending the night cruising around London.

There were screams as the Ford Fiesta mounted the pavement and mowed people down at up to 50mph at 7.37am.

In a chilling echo of Khalid Masood’s murderous rampage on Westminster 17 months ago, the driver, from Birmingham, sped towards the Palace of Westminster – narrowly missing two police officers guarding the access road who jumped out of his path. He then smashed into a security barrier outside Parliament.

Despite hitting at least 15 cyclists and pedestrians during rush hour, no one was killed with only one female cyclist seriously injured.

Within minutes the driver, dressed in a white shirt, jeans and a black puffa jacket, was dragged from the driving seat of the crumpled vehicle by armed officers.

The terror suspect – thought to be a lone wolf – remained strangely calm and utterly silent, offering no resistance as he was handcuffed. 

Salih Khater, 29, veered off the road careering into pedestrians and cyclists at Parliament Square, after spending the night cruising around London

Forensic officers by the Ford Fiesta that crashed into security barriers outside the Houses of Parliament today in the first terror attack in Britain this year

Forensic officers by the Ford Fiesta that crashed into security barriers outside the Houses of Parliament today in the first terror attack in Britain this year

The car was stopped in its tracks by a new security barrier designed to stop a lorryborne attack used in Nice or Berlin 

The car was stopped in its tracks by a new security barrier designed to stop a lorryborne attack used in Nice or Berlin 

Cyclists abandoned their bikes after the collision with one being treated for injuries in the middle of the road as terror came to London's streets again

Cyclists abandoned their bikes after the collision with one being treated for injuries in the middle of the road as terror came to London’s streets again

Police found no weapons or explosives.

Trump blasts ‘animals’ after ‘another terrorist attack in London’

US President Donald Trump today branded the London terror suspect an ‘animal’.

The president has previously said Sadiq Khan was failing to tackle extremism and crime in the city – blaming high levels of immigration.

The tycoon spoke out again shortly after 7.30am in Washington and said on Twitter: ‘Another terrorist attack in London…These animals are crazy and must be dealt with through toughness and strength!’

Previously he said there were areas of London where police were scared to go because of extremism.

Last night it emerged Khater, who was said to be of Sudanese origin, drove from his rundown flat in Hall Green, Birmingham, to London on Monday evening arriving just after midnight. 

He spent all night driving around central London, cruising around tourist hotspots such as Tottenham Court Road between 1.25am and 5.55am.

He then spent 90 minutes driving around Whitehall and Westminster, leading to suspicions he may have been hunting for large crowds of tourists to target.

The man had not spoken a word since being arrested despite hours of questioning last night.

Officers have raided two addresses in Birmingham and one in Nottingham where the vehicle was registered.

Hours after the attack, Britain’s head of counter terrorism announced the suspect was not known to Scotland Yard or MI5 for any previous terrorist activity.

But last night it emerged he was an immigrant known to West Midlands police. Security minister Ben Wallace said the suspect was born in another country but had been given British citizenship.

The vehicle that police say he used ‘deliberately’ as a weapon was written off by insurers last autumn and had failed an MOT as it had problems with headlights, a hand brake lever and the steering rack.

But it was put back on the road and sold again eight weeks ago.

The attack was caught on CCTV showing the car swerve the wrong way down the road and veering across a pedestrian crossing through crowds of cyclists waiting at a set of traffic lights. 

Armed officers swamp a crumpled silver car after a rush hour crash at Westminster today that left two pedestrians needing hospital treatment

Armed officers swamp a crumpled silver car after a rush hour crash at Westminster today that left two pedestrians needing hospital treatment

The location of the barrier crash was just around the corner from where Khalid Masood killed five people in March 2017

The location of the barrier crash was just around the corner from where Khalid Masood killed five people in March 2017

This is the location of the barrier crash – just around the corner from where Khalid Masood killed six people in March 2017

Bicycles are sat against a wall near the scene of the crash at the Houses of Parliament today

Bicycles are sat against a wall near the scene of the crash at the Houses of Parliament today

First responders treat victims lying in the road on Parliament Square in an attack that did not claim any lives

First responders treat victims lying in the road on Parliament Square in an attack that did not claim any lives

How the Westminster car’s current owner has been registered for only two months

The car involved in today’s crash was a 2010 Ford Fiesta, first registered near Nottingham in March 2010.

Forensic officers by the car that crashed into security barriers outside Parliament

Forensic officers by the car that crashed into security barriers outside Parliament

It has had five previous owners before the current keeper – who has only been registered to it since June 20.

The car, which has a manual transmission, is valued at about £4,500 and has an estimated mileage of around 68,000.

It previously failed an MOT in 2015 due to issues with the front brake pad, front tyre and front windscreen wiper.

It was also said to have suffered serious structural damage last November and written off – but then passed its most recent MOT this May.

He hit a female cyclist who was left lying motionless in the road suffering from a suspected broken hip, while other injured cyclists lay sprawled in the road by their mangled bikes.

A man and the female cyclist were taken to hospital with non-life threatening injuries and were later discharged. Robert Nicholson was heading to work and waiting in a ‘safe cycling box’ near Parliament when the man struck.

He said: ‘There were about 15 cyclists there. All of a sudden, whipping round the corner – just from the traffic lights – was this small car and just rammed straight through the group of ten to 15 cyclists that were stood there.’

Kirsty Moseley, 31, of Brixton, south London, was a passenger in the first car behind the cyclists.

She said: ‘I heard a few shouts, looked up and this silver car was driving at high speed the wrong way into the cyclists.

‘People were thrown everywhere. [He had] two hands on the steering wheel and he did not look back over his shoulder to look at the damage he’d created – he was just looking deadpan straight in front of him.’

Westminster was quickly locked down, with more than 200 officers flooding the area including police ‘super spotters’ dispatched to look for other attackers using their specialist skills to recognise when a person is displaying minute signs of anxiety.

A large cordon was initially set up but police later announced there was no threat after ruling out the possibility of further attackers.

Neil Basu, the Met’s Assistant Commissioner Specialist Operations, said: ‘This appears to be a deliberate act… we’re treating it as a terrorist incident.’

Home Secretary Sajid Javid has said ‘we must keep an open mind’ about the suspected terror attack. He added: ‘The briefing I have received from counter-terrorism police and the security services is that work is ongoing and they are doing everything they can to find out more about the incident.’

Forensic officers were still at the scene where the Ford Fiesta crashed near the Houses of Parliament

Forensic officers were still at the scene where the Ford Fiesta crashed near the Houses of Parliament

Other officers were seen loading abandoned bicycles into vans after the crash that involved 15 cyclists and pedestrians 

Other officers were seen loading abandoned bicycles into vans after the crash that involved 15 cyclists and pedestrians 

Suspected terror attack tests beefed up Westminster security 

Security measures around Westminster and on central London bridges were beefed up in the wake of terror attacks last year.

Within days of the atrocity at London Bridge and Borough Market in June 2017, barriers were put in place on bridges including Westminster, Waterloo and Lambeth in a bid to stop terrorists mowing down pedestrians.

Tactics for armed officers were also changed, with marksmen allowed to shoot at a vehicle being used in such an attack.

Previously, firearms officers had the option of shooting at a moving car, van or lorry, but this was discouraged as it was felt it could increase the risk to the public.

But the approach was revised so that firing at a car, van or lorry when it is on the move is an accepted tactic for such incidents.

There are also more armed patrols on the streets at any one time, with the number of firearms officers and vehicles having gradually increased since 2016.

A £143 million plan to boost armed policing was announced in the months after the terrorist attacks in Paris in November 2015, in which 130 people died and hundreds more were injured.

Security arrangements around Parliament are likely to come under fresh scrutiny at the forthcoming inquests into the deaths of five people including police officer Keith Palmer who were killed in the Westminster Bridge attack last year.

Khalid Masood ploughed a hired SUV into pedestrians on the bridge before getting out and fatally stabbing Mr Palmer, who was guarding the Palace of Westminster but was unarmed.

Around a month later, former Taliban bomb maker Khalid Ali was arrested in Parliament Square with three knives ready to attack MPs and police.

He was later jailed for at least 40 years for making the explosive devices and 25 years for the knife plot.

Scotland Yard said the public can expect to see more police officers, both armed and unarmed, on the capital’s streets in the wake of Tuesday’s incident.

Questions will be raised about why the attack took place during recess when Parliament is not sitting.

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