British police arrest two over London attack

PanARMENIAN.Net - British police said Friday, March 24 they had made two further "significant" arrests over the Islamist-inspired terror attack on parliament, as they appealed for information about the homegrown killer who left four people dead, AFP reports.

Nine people are now in custody over Wednesday's rampage in Westminster, in which at least 50 people were injured, 31 requiring hospital treatment, counter-terrorism commander Mark Rowley said.

Police have searched 16 addresses, with five more raids still underway, mainly in London and the central city of Birmingham, where the attacker reportedly lived and near where he rented the car used in the assault.

The police officer also revealed the attacker's birth name as Adrian Russell Ajao, after naming him Thursday as Khalid Masood, a 52-year-old who used "a number of aliases" and had a history of violent offences but no terrorist convictions.

The Islamic State group claimed the assailant behind Britain's deadliest terror attack in 12 years was one of its "soldiers" acting on a call to target countries in the US-led coalition fighting the jihadists.

Prime Minister Theresa May has said that Masood was known to intelligence services as a "peripheral" figure some years ago but there was no warning of his intention to mount an attack.

Rowley said Friday that police were trying to establish whether Masood acted totally alone "or if others have encouraged, supported or directed him".

Masood ran over dozens of pedestrians and tourists on Westminster Bridge on Wednesday afternoon before crashing his car into parliament, where he managed to stab a police officer before being shot dead.

Lawmakers returned to work as normal on Thursday morning, even as forensic officers worked at the scene, but a review of parliamentary security is now underway.

Hundreds of people gathered in nearby Trafalgar Square late Thursday for a vigil led by Mayor Sadiq Khan who vowed that "Londoners will never be cowed by terrorism."