London Attacker Was British-Born, Probed for Extremism Links, Theresa May Says -- 4th Update
DOW JONES & COMPANY, INC. 7:32 AM ET 3/23/2017
LONDON--Prime Minister Theresa May said Thursday the man suspected of carrying out the rampage outside Parliament was British-born and had been investigated by authorities over extremism concerns, but wasn't seen as "part of the current intelligence picture."
In a speech to Parliament the day after the deadliest act of terror in the U.K. in more than a decade, the British leader said the man had been investigated years earlier but that authorities had no prior intelligence of his intent. He was viewed as a "peripheral figure," she said.
Police were working to piece together the details of the attack that struck at the heart of Britain's democracy, searching six properties and arresting eight people. Amid heightened security, lawmakers were returning to business amid vows to remain strong in the face of terrorist violence.
"Today we meet as normal, as generations have done before us and as future generations will continue to do, to deliver a simple message: We are not afraid and our resolve will never waver in the face of terrorism. And we meet here in the oldest of all parliaments because we know that democracy and the values it entails will always prevail," Mrs. May said.
After saying late Wednesday that four people had been killed by the attacker--who rammed his car into pedestrians and stabbed a police officer--police gave a lower death toll Thursday, saying three people had died. Twenty-nine people were in the hospital, seven of them in critical condition.
Mrs. May said that in addition to 12 Britons admitted to the hospital, the victims of the attack included one American, three French children, two Romanians, four South Koreans, one German, one Pole, one Irish, one Chinese, one Italian and two Greeks.
Assistant Commissioner Mark Rowley, the U.K.'s top counterterrorist policeman, told reporters that authorities believe "the attacker acted alone and was inspired by international terrorism."
Police didn't publicly identify the man. There was no immediate claim of responsibility for the assault.
"Clearly our investigation is ongoing--developing all the time--and is focused on his motivation, his preparation and associates," Mr. Rowley said.
He said hundreds of police officers had worked through the night, searching six addresses in London, Birmingham and elsewhere in the U.K., but didn't offer details on those who had been arrested. Several extremist suspects have in the past been connected with Birmingham, Britain's second-largest city, and the surrounding Midlands region.
Witnesses to Wednesday's assault said the attacker drove a sport-utility vehicle into people on Westminster Bridge before hitting a fence surrounding Parliament. The assailant ran at a police officer guarding the complex and stabbed him, authorities said, before being shot and killed by police.
The nearby DLD College London identified one of the victims as Aysha Frade, a member of its administration team. " She was highly regarded and loved by our students and by her colleagues," the school said.
On Thursday, lawmakers were slowly returning to Parliament, where only one entrance was opened and the area remained closed off to traffic. The surrounding area, typically bustling with tourists taking selfies, was quiet.
Nick Thomas-Symonds, a U.K. lawmaker, said it was an important symbol that Parliament was in session as normal.
"The attack yesterday was not just on individuals but on our whole system of democracy and on our system of values," Mr. Symonds said, as he walked toward Parliament, taking an alternative route because the primary entries were cordoned off.
Around the capital, there was an increased security presence, as police said they had increased hours and canceled leave for officers.
Senior intelligence officials have warned that U.K. was a target and authorities have focused on their ability to respond to armed attacks, like the ones in Paris, where gunmen and suicide bombers hit different targets simultaneously.
The U.K. announced last year it was sharply increasing the number of police officers trained to handle firearms. More than 90% of police officers are unarmed, with only specialist firearms teams permitted to carry submachine guns and pistols capable of killing a hostile suspect.
Defense Secretary Michael Fallon said security would be reviewed to see whether arrangements at Parliament were adequate and whether police at the front gates should be armed.
Write to Jenny Gross at jenny.gross@wsj.com and Joshua Robinson at joshua.robinson@wsj.com
(END) Dow Jones Newswires
03-23-170732ET
Copyright (c) 2017 Dow Jones & Company, Inc.
