Gunshots heard outside Parliament

London attack: Westminster terrorist named as British-born Khalid Masood by Scotland Yard after Isil claims responsibility.

The Westminster terrorist who brought bloodshed to the heart of London has been named by police as Khalid Masood, a British-born criminal with a string of previous convictions.

After the Islamic State claimed the attacker was a "soldier" of the terror group, Scotland Yard formally identified the 52-year-old - saying he was not the subject of any current investigations and there was "no prior intelligence about his intent to mount a terrorist attack".

http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/2017/03/23/london-attack-seven-arrested-police-raid-properties-linked-islamist/

http://news.met.police.uk/news/update-westminster-attack-man-believed-responsible-named-230160

I hope someone in authority hasn't dropped the ball very badly over this, LL. As ever, time will tell.

Oh, I must be psychic.

http://www.express.co.uk/news/uk/783357/Andrew-Neil-London-Westminster-attack-monologue-BBC-terror-Churchillian

Quote:

A fired-up Neil then turns his attention to the terrorists, reminding them of Britain’s past.

“Do you have any idea who you’re dealing with?” Neil continued.

“This is the country that stood up alone to the might of the Luftwaffe, air force of the greatest evil mankind has ever known.

“If you think we’re going to be cowed by some pathetic, Poundland terrorist in an estate car with a knife, then you’re as delusional as you are malevolent."

Forkers' favourite Katie Hopkins has made rather a fool of herself with her 'cowering Londoners' nonsense.

I cannot abide that cheap white trash Hopkins bint at all.  So do not read about her either.

As for the subject matter,  I feel gutted, I really do.

Hopkins really is a fool, Lily. She used to be quite sharp on anything political, but IMO, she is losing her touch.

It was a horrible, horrible thing, Lily. I am just glad the killer is dead, and we won't have to keep him or listen to him ranting from the dock.

London attacker had worked in Saudi Arabia teaching English

LONDON (AP) — The British man who killed four people during a London rampage had made three trips to Saudi Arabia: He taught English there twice on a work visa and returned on a visa usually granted to those going on a religious pilgrimage.

https://www.mail.com/int/news/uk/5064378-london-attacker-worked-saudi-arabia-teaching-engli.html#.1258-stage-hero1-2

The Saudis yet again....they are a menace. If they were poor, like Yemen, they would have been flattened long ago. Instead, they are allowed to export their own perverted form of islam to the rest of the world.

http://www.independent.co.uk/news/world/europe/saudi-arabia-gulf-states-fund-islamic-extremism-germany-salafism-wahhabism-qatar-kuwait-islamists-a7473551.html

Saudi Arabia and Gulf states 'support Islamic extremism in Germany,' intelligence report finds
Saudi Arabia's ambassador to Germany denies his government funds extremist groups

Well, he would say that, wouldn't he?

Instead of lying to invade Iraq, Blair and Bush would have been better employed dropping an extremely large bomb on that ridiculous black stone in Mecca.

Why the London attacker's links to Saudi Arabia might matter

DUBAI, United Arab Emirates (AP) — The British man who killed four people in a rampage in London last week had made three trips to Saudi Arabia in his lifetime. Though millions of foreigners from around the world live and work in the kingdom, Khalid Masood's time there immediately raised questions about whether the country's ultraconservative brand of Islam impacted his worldview and radicalized him.

The answer is not so simple. Before he stabbed a police officer to death and rammed his vehicle into people on the famed Westminster bridge March 22, Masood had been convicted twice of violent crimes involving knife attacks. As with so many other terror attacks across the world, investigators are trying to piece together how the apparent convert to Islam, who was athletic and popular in high school, became radicalized.

Some suggest it may have been the 52-year-old's lengthy stints in prison in the UK that had the greatest impact on him. Investigators are also trying to determine who Masood associated with in Saudi Arabia and whether his time there set him on his future path.

The path to radicalization is often mined with a complicated mix of personal failures, a deep sense of discrimination, mental health problems and a superficial understanding of religion. Some are moved too by slick propaganda efforts that capitalize on this combustible combination.

The Islamic State group was quick to claim Masood as "a soldier of the caliphate" but it was unclear whether he had any direct contact with the extremist group or if he was even inspired by their violent ideology.

For now, there are no clear answers. With so many possible motives and reasons, here's a look at why Masood's time in Saudi Arabia has sparked attention:

THE SAUDI CONNECTION

Masood spent two years in Saudi Arabia between 2005 and 2006, and between 2008 and 2009. The Saudi Embassy in London says he worked as an English teacher. His last and most recent visit appears to have been in March 2015, when he obtained an "Umra" visa to perform an Islamic pilgrimage to Mecca, as millions of Muslims do annually.

Though Saudi Arabia quickly condemned the London attack, some people believe that prominent Saudi officials were behind one of the world's most stunning acts of terrorism — the Sept. 11 attacks.

Under new legislation, U.S. family members of those killed on 9/11 are gearing up to sue Saudi Arabia for the attacks. They point out that 15 of the 19 Sept. 11 hijackers were Saudi citizens, as was al-Qaida's late founder Osama bin Laden — though the Saudi government stripped him of his citizenship in 1994.

IS SAUDI ARABIA A HOTBED OF EXTREMISM?

The answer depends on who you ask.

A decade after the 9/11 attacks, clerics across the Arabian Peninsula encouraged young men to join in jihad in Syria.

Though the government made it illegal to encourage fighting abroad in 2014, many Saudi clerics continue to use the pulpit to spread an ultraconservative doctrine known as Wahhabism, which holds a dim view of non-Muslims and regards Shiite Muslims as apostates. The kingdom actively exports this worldview by building and funding mosques and religious schools across the globe.

Additionally, across the Gulf, private funding for extremist groups and jihadi fighters continues despite official efforts to stem the flow.

However, extremist groups such as al-Qaida and IS perceive the Saudi government as an enemy of Islam that is too closely aligned with the West. The Islamic State group has killed dozens of Saudi citizens and police throughout the kingdom since 2014, and the country weathered a wave of al-Qaida bombings, shootings and kidnappings from 2003-2006. The country's Crown Prince Mohammed bin Nayef, who also serves as interior minister overseeing police, survived a suicide bombing by al-Qaida intended to kill him.

Sceptics of the kingdom point to the case of Tashfeen Malik, who along with her husband Syed Rizwan Farook carried out the December 2015 shootings in San Bernardino, California that killed 14 people. Malik had traveled to Saudi Arabia, where her father has been a resident since the 1980s. Friends say she became more conservative after her time in the kingdom.

Saudi authorities say there is no indication Malik was radicalized there.

HOW HAS SAUDI ARABIA DEALT WITH TERRORISM POST 9/11?

The country has created a groundbreaking program, which rehabilitates extremists through months of indoctrination by moderate Islamic clerics, sociologists and psychologists. It claims a success rate of around 87 percent.

Saudi Arabia has also helped establish and fund the United Nations Counter-Terrorism Center, contributing more than $100 million to help finance it. The kingdom also announced in late 2015 a new military coalition of 34 Muslim majority countries to fight terrorism in the region.

The country has arrested more than 3,000 terror suspects since 2015 and is part of the U.S.-led coalition bombing IS group targets in Syria.

Saudi Arabia and the U.S. also share intelligence on extremist groups. Under President Donald Trump, CIA Director Michael Pompeo awarded Crown Prince Mohammed with a medal for his intelligence-related counterterrorism work in February.

https://www.mail.com/int/news/uk/5066386-why-london-attackers-links-to-saudi-arabia-matter.html#.1258-stage-hero1-6

UK: Attacker used WhatsApp, firm must help police get access

LONDON (AP) — Westminster Bridge attacker Khalid Masood sent a WhatsApp message that cannot be accessed because it was encrypted by the popular messaging service, a top British security official said Sunday.

British press reports suggest Masood used the messaging service owned by Facebook just minutes before the Wednesday rampage that left three pedestrians and one police officer dead and dozens more wounded.

As controversy swirled over the encrypted messages, police made another arrest in Birmingham, England, where Masood had lived. The 30-year-old is one of two men now in custody over possible links to the attack. Neither has been charged or publicly named.

Masood was shot dead on the grounds of Parliament. Home Secretary Amber Rudd used appearances on BBC and Sky News to urge WhatsApp and other encrypted services to make their platforms accessible to intelligence services and police trying to carrying out lawful eavesdropping.

"We need to make sure that organizations like WhatsApp — and there are plenty of others like that — don't provide a secret place for terrorists to communicate with each other," she said. Rudd did not provide any details about Masood's use of WhatsApp, saying only "this terrorist sent a WhatsApp message and it can't be accessed."

But her call for a "back door" system to allow authorities to retrieve information is likely to meet resistance from the tech industry, which has faced previous law enforcement demands for access to data after major attacks.

In the United States, Apple fought the FBI's request for the passcodes needed to unlock an iPhone that had been used by one of the perpetrators in the 2015 extremist attack in San Bernardino, California.

The FBI initially claimed it could obtain the data only with Apple's help, but ultimately found another way to hack into the locked phone. Masood drove a rented SUV into pedestrians on Westminster Bridge before smashing it into Parliament's gates and rushing onto the grounds, where he fatally stabbed a policeman and was shot by other officers. A detailed police reconstruction has found the entire attack lasted 82 seconds.

Police are trying to pinpoint his motive and identify any possible accomplices, making the WhatsApp message a potential clue to his state of mind and his social media contacts. Rudd said attacks like Masood's would be easier to prevent if authorities could penetrate encrypted services after obtaining warrants similar to the ones used to listen in on telephone calls or — in snail mail days — to steam open letters and read their contents.

Without a change in the system, she said terrorists would be able to communicate with each other without fear of being overheard even in cases where a legal warrant has been obtained. Rudd also urged technology companies to do a better job at preventing the publication of material that promotes extremism. She plans to meet with firms Thursday about setting up an industry board that would take steps to make the web less useful to extremists.

British police investigating the attack say they still believe Masood, a 52-year-old Briton, acted alone and say they have no indications that further attacks are planned. Metropolitan Police Deputy Assistant Commissioner Neil Basu said it may never be possible to fully determine Masood's motives.

"That understanding may have died with him," Basu said Saturday night as police appealed for people who knew Masood or saw him to contact investigators. "Even if he acted alone in the preparation, we need to establish with absolute clarity why he did these unspeakable acts, to bring reassurance to Londoners."

The Islamic State group, which is losing territory in Iraq and Syria but still has radical followers in other parts of the world, has claimed Masood was a "soldier" carrying out its wishes to attack Western countries.

Masood had convictions for violent crimes in the U.K. and spent time in prison. He also worked in Saudi Arabia teaching English for two years and traveled there again in 2015 on a visa designed for religious pilgrimages.

Along with the man arrested Sunday, a 58-year-old man detained in Birmingham several days ago remains in custody in the case. Nine others arrested after the attack have been freed without charges, while one person was released on bail.

The family of slain police officer Keith Palmer, meanwhile, released a statement thanking those who tried to save his life. "There was nothing more you could have done. You did your best and we are just grateful he was not alone," the statement said.

https://www.mail.com/int/news/uk/5065920-uk-attacker-used-whatsapp-firm-help-police-access.html#.1258-stage-hero1-3

Personally, I am sick to death of these giant social media companies. They all seem to be utterly irresponsible, but don't care as long as the profits keep rolling in.

Romanian tourist hurt in London attack has died.


Image released through the Metropolitan Police on Friday April 7, 2017 of Andreea Cristea. Cristea, a 31-year-old Romanian tourist who was knocked into the River Thames from Westminster Bridge during an attack on Britain's Houses of Parliament more than two weeks ago has died, London police said Friday.

LONDON (AP) — A 31-year-old Romanian tourist who was knocked into the River Thames from Westminster Bridge during an attack on Britain's Houses of Parliament more than two weeks ago has died, London police said Friday.

Andreea Cristea was rescued from the cold river after the attack, in which British attacker Khalid Masood drove a rented SUV into pedestrians on the bridge and then fatally stabbed an unarmed police officer outside Parliament.

Her death brings the death toll from the attack to five, plus Masood, who was shot dead by police. Cristea's boyfriend Andrei Burnaz suffered a broken foot in the attack. Her family and Burnaz described Cristea as "our shining ray of light that will forever keep on shining in our hearts," and said they would be donating to charity all the money raised to help her since the March 22 attack.

"After fighting for her life for over two weeks, our beloved and irreplaceable Andreea — wonderful daughter, sister, partner, dedicated friend and the most unique and life-loving person you can imagine — was cruelly and brutally ripped away from our lives in the most heartless and spiritless way," they said in a statement.

They said there are no words to describe the emptiness they feel and thanked medical personnel for their round-the-clock help. Police said she had been receiving extensive treatment in a London hospital since the attack but that life support was withdrawn Thursday afternoon.

St. Bartholomew's Hospital, where Cristea was treated, said it was "greatly saddened" by her death. Footage taken at the time showed Cristea falling into the river during the attack. Witnesses saw her lying face-down in the Thames before she was rescued and rushed to an emergency room for emergency surgery after being diagnosed with a blood clot on the brain.

Burnaz needed surgery on his foot but has been discharged from the hospital. He was seen in a wheelchair at a memorial service for victims held last week. Also killed in the attack were Utah man Kurt Cochran, 54; Britons Leslie Rhodes, 75, and Aysha Frade, 44; and 48-year-old police officer Keith Palmer.

Dozens of people were wounded. Police believe 52-year-old Masood, who had convictions for violence, acted alone and was motivated by Islamist extremism.

That is truly so sad.