UK parliament attack suspect appears in court, charged with attempted murder

LONDON (Reuters) - A Sudanese-born British man appeared in court on Monday to face two charges of attempted murder after a car careered into people and a barrier at Britain's parliament last week.

Police believe a car was deliberately driven into pedestrians and cyclists, injuring three people, before ramming a security barrier outside parliament last Tuesday.

Salih Khater, 29, was arrested at the scene. He wore a grey T-shirt and white trousers as he was read the charges of the attempted murder of members of the public and the attempted murder of police officers at London's Westminster Magistrates court.

He spoke only to confirm his name, date of birth, nationality and address. Judge Emma Arbuthnot said he would held in custody before appearing in front of the Old Bailey on Aug. 31. There was no bail application.

Police have said that they are treating the case as terrorism, due to the method, location and alleged targets.

Investigators have said it appears to be the second terrorist attack at the parliament building in just under 18 months, after a British-born Muslim convert killed four people on nearby Westminster Bridge in March 2017.

(Reporting by Andrew MacAskill, writing by Alistair Smout; Editing by Toby Chopra)