Who is Salih Khater? Westminster attack suspect who was arrested outside Parliament after car crash
WESTMINSTER attack suspect Salih Khater has appeared in court charged with attempted murder following the incident on August 14.
We take a look at who he is and his background.
Who is Salih Khater?
Salih Khater is the man suspected of trying to ram into Parliament on August 14, 2018.
The 29-year-old crashed his Ford Fiesta into a steel barrier after mowing down 15 cyclists at 50mph.
The Sudanese-born Brit national reportedly lives in a rundown flat above an internet cafe in Sparkhill, Birmingham, and is thought to have driven around London before the attack to look for targets.
The incident was cited as an attempted copy of the previous terror attack in Westminster.
Khater was arrested on suspicion of terror offences at the scene of the crash and taken into custody at a South London police station, but refused to cooperate with cops.
Has the suspect appeared in court?
Khater appeared at Westminster Magistrates’ Court on Monday, August 20, 2018.
He is charged with two counts of attempted murder and the case is being treated as terrorism, according to the Metropolitan Police.
This is because of the location, methodology, and alleged targeting of both civilians and police officers.
The suspect has been charged with one count of attempting to murder persons outside Parliament and a second count of attempting to murder police officers.
Khater is expected to appear in court today, September 27.
Where is he from?
Khater describes himself on Facebook as a shop manager who studied at the Sudan University of Science and Technology.
Childhood pal Abubakr Ibrahim told The Times: "He is not a terrorist. I have known him since childhood. He is a good man.”
Terror cops raided two addresses in Birmingham, including the suspect's flat, and a house in the Radford area of Nottingham.
An occupant of the house, who asked not to be named, said six Sudanese men had lived there for the past 12 months.
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Did he know Khalid Masood?
The attack sparked memories of the terrorist atrocity in March 2017 in which Khalid Masood, 52, killed five in Westminster, including PC Keith Palmer.
The attack by Masood - who was shot dead by police - was followed by terror atrocities in Manchester and London Bridge which killed 30.
Cops are investigating whether Masood and Khater knew each other - as their flats were just ten minutes apart.
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