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Everything we know about Khalid Masood

Masood, then known as Adrian Ajao pictured with a school football team in the early 80s (The Telegraph)
Masood, then known as Adrian Ajao pictured with a school football team in the early 80s (The Telegraph)

Yesterday, Khalid Masood was named as the attacker who mowed down several people using a car on Westminster Bridge before fatally stabbing PC Keith Palmer.

Directly following the attack, the terrorist was shot by an armed officer and died from his injuries despite attempts to keep him alive.

Authorities are now piecing together a picture of the attacker – here’s everything we know so far.

Police have issued a mugshot of Khalid Masood in an appeal for more information (Metropolitan Police)
Police have issued a mugshot of Khalid Masood in an appeal for more information (Metropolitan Police)
Emergency crews made every attempt to keep Masood alive but he died from his wounds (PA)
Emergency crews made every attempt to keep Masood alive but he died from his wounds (PA)

Who was he?

The attacker’s original name was originally reported to be Adrian Elms though London’s top counterterror officer later confirmed that Masood’s birth name is Adrian Russell Ajao.

His mother, Janet Elms, changed her name to Ajao after marrying his step-father Phillips, reports The Sun. They moved from Rye in East Sussex to Tunbridge Wells in Kent where they lived with Masood’s two half-brothers.

Police said that he had used a number of aliases in the past, including Khalid Choudri.

The 52-year-old was born in Dartford, Kent on Christmas Day in 1964 and was reportedly married and a father of three.

An image of Masood, then known as Adrian Ajao, from the early 1980s has emerged and shows him as part of a school football team.

The image, which was uncovered by The Telegraph, comes from Huntleys secondary school in Tunbridge Wells. The photo was taken when he was around 15 years old following a charity football tournament.

Please stand guard in Westminster the morning after the attack (Rick Findler/REX/Shutterstock)
Please stand guard in Westminster the morning after the attack (Rick Findler/REX/Shutterstock)

What was his background?

Masood and his family are known to have lived in various locations, during the last few years including Luton, where they lived for more than two years until 2013.

The family later moved to Forest Gate in east London and moved again to Birmingham in the past year.

He is described as a religious man who converted to Islam relatively late in life.

Some neighbours have spoken of him as a ‘nice man’ who was a keen gardener, while others have described a ‘split personality’, saying that his manner would change when talking about religion.

Was he previously known to the police?

Masood was known to police with convictions for violent crimes spanning 20 years.

“He was known to police and has a range of previous convictions for assaults, including GBH, possession of offensive weapons and public order offences,” said the Metropolitan Police in a statement.

He was jailed twice for knife-related attacks, serving time in both East and West Sussex.

None of his convictions were related to terrorism offences, police have confirmed.

Was he a known terrorist threat?

The attacker was previously investigated by MI5 over concerns about violent extremism, however, he was considered to be a ’peripheral’ figure, posing no immediate threat.

Prime Minister Teresa May confirmed that he was “not the subject of any current investigations” and that there no prior intelligence to suggest that he was planning an attack.

Where was he prior to the attack?

Masood is known to have been living in the West Midlands, with his most recent home being located in Winson Green, Birmingham.

He stayed in the Preston Park Hotel in Brighton on the night before the attack, reports The Sun. He reportedly told reception staff that he was travelling to London after checking out.

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Was he acting with ISIS?

The Islamic State has claimed that Masood was one of its ‘soldiers’, though this has not been verified.

Police have said that Masood may have been inspired by IS but that he was acting alone.

However, they are investigating possible associates and have made a series of arrest in multiple locations including Birmingham and London.

Police have appealed for more information on Khalid Masood – reports can be made using the anti-terrorist hotline on 0800 789 321.