Channel 4 admit naming wrong man as London terror suspect

The shocking scene at Westminster yesterday afternoon (REX/Shutterstock)
The shocking scene at Westminster yesterday afternoon (REX/Shutterstock)

Channel 4 News has admitted naming the wrong man as the main suspect in yesterday’s London terror attack.

Trevor Brooks – known as Abu Izzadeen – was identified as the man suspected of being responsible for the events at Westminster during a live broadcast.

Simon Israel, Senior Home Affairs Correspondent for Channel 4 News, confirmed his mistake on Twitter yesterday evening, admitting: “I got it wrong”.

Channel 4 also confirmed the error in a statement soon afterwards, saying Israel “quoted a source wrongly claiming the identity of the alleged Westminster attacker was believed to be Abu Izzadeen.

“This is not the case and we apologise to our viewers for the error.”

Jon Snow was forced to interrupt the live broadcast and make the correction after Izzadeen’s brother, Yusuf Brooks, got in touch to confirm that his sibling was still behind bars.

Snow said: “We’ve got a little bit more on this fast-developing story about today’s attack in Westminster.

“Channel 4 News has been contacted by Abu Izzadeen’s brother, who tells this programme that he is in fact still serving a prison sentence.”

Behind bars: Abu Izzadeen pictured addressing a crowd outside Regents Park Mosque in April 2015 (REX/Shutterstock)
Behind bars: Abu Izzadeen pictured addressing a crowd outside Regents Park Mosque in April 2015 (REX/Shutterstock)

Izzadeen was jailed on counter-terrorism offences in January 2016, and is still serving his two-year term.

He was born in Hackney, east London, to Christian parents of Jamaican origin, converting to Islam in 1993, aged 17.

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