Murderer in his fatherland

The attack on passers-by and police in the center of London was committed by 52-year-old Khalid Masud, who was born in the English county of Kent. This was stated at a briefing by the official representative of Scotland Yard, the BBC reports .

In the past, Masuda was held accountable for applying serious bodily harm, illegal storage of weapons and violation of public order. For the first time, he was convicted in 1983 for damage to property, and in the last - in 2003 for illegal possession of cold weapons. However, the charges related to terrorist activities were never presented to him, the police representative said.

The responsibility for this terrorist attack was taken by the Islamic State group banned in Britain, Russia and many other countries. Nevertheless, the police believe that Masud acted alone. "We still believe - and this is confirmed by our investigation - that the attacker acted alone, falling under the influence of international terrorism," the police said.

The attack in London occurred on Wednesday during the day . Masud, moving by car, shot down several people on the Westminster Bridge, located near the parliament building. Then he attacked a 48-year-old policeman Keith Palmer, who was on duty at the territory adjacent to the parliament. The terrorist intended to get inside the building.

As a result of the attack, three people died. At least 40 people were injured, of which seven are in critical condition. Masuda himself was shot by the police. It was reported that among the dead - a police Palmer, as well as a woman shot down on the bridge. Among the victims, three police officers trying to detain the terrorist.

In connection with the attack, the session of the House of Commons was interrupted, and the building was blocked. The deputies were called not to leave there. The metro station Westminster was closed at the request of the police. Over the past night, the parliament building was cordoned off. Now the cordon was removed. The flags on the spiers of the building were lowered as a sign of mourning by order of Prime Minister Teresa May.

“We will never give in to terror,” May said in her speech dedicated to the London attack. The place for the attack was not chosen by chance, May noted, since the British parliament symbolizes the values ​​of free people: democracy, freedom, human rights, and the rule of law. “Any attempts to crush these values ​​by violence and terror are doomed to failure,” the prime minister emphasized.

Late in the evening on Wednesday, the police held a raid in Birmingham, where a terrorist car was rented. Searches in the case were also held in London and other cities - only six addresses. Seven suspects of involvement in the attack were detained. Their names are not reported.

As noted, the attack was committed on the anniversary of the explosions in 2016 in the 2016 series in Brussels , the victims of which were 32 people.