Man arrested in Whitehall named as Khalid Mohammed Omar Ali

The terror suspect arrested with several
knives in Whitehall on Thursday is
understood to be Khalid Mohammed Omar
Ali.



It is thought the 27-year-old is a British
national who was born overseas and went to school in Tottenham, north London.
The suspect was detained by armed officers
after a stop and search in an ‘intelligence-
led’ operation.

He remains in custody, having been arrested on suspicion of offences under the Terrorism Act and possession of offensive weapons.

Police recovered knives during the swoop,
which took place yards from the scene of last month’s deadly attack by Khalid Masood in Westminster.

Reports suggest the suspect was arrested
after a concerned family member contacted
authorities.

Detectives are continuing to question him,
while two searches are being carried out at
addresses in London.

It is understood the arrest was ‘intelligence-
led’ and was made as part of a joint
operation being carried out by MI5 and
counter-terrorism police.

The Prime Minister, who was away on a
campaign visit at the time, said the operation showed Britain’s spies are ‘on alert’ as she hailed the bravery of the police and the intelligence and security services.

Witnesses described the suspect as ‘very
calm’ by a witness, was carrying a rucksack
containing at least three knives when he was detained yards from the scene of last
month’s deadly attack by Khalid Masood.

The Metropolitan Police said he was arrested ‘following a stop and search as part of an ongoing operation’ by armed officers from the specialist firearms command.

The Daily Telegraph reported that it is
understood the suspect’s family had become
concerned about his behaviour and reported him to the authorities several weeks ago.

Scotland Yard said in a statement: ‘The man,
aged in his late 20s, was arrested on
suspicion of possession of an offensive
weapon and on suspicion of the commission, preparation and instigation of acts of terrorism.
‘Knives have been recovered from him. He is being detained under the Terrorism Act and is in custody in a south London police
station.

‘Detectives from the counter-terrorism
command are continuing their investigation, and as a result of this arrest there is no immediate known threat.’
Dressed in dark clothing, the suspect was
wrestled to the ground on a traffic island at
the Parliament Square end of Whitehall, close to the Foreign Office and the entrance to Downing Street, at approximately 2.22pm on Thursday.

He was handcuffed with his arms behind his back, one of his hands appearing to be
wrapped up in a bandage as four officers
stood next to him.

After being held near a red telephone box for several minutes, the suspect was led away with his black hood up and driven from the scene in a police vehicle.

Images from the scene showed three knives
on the ground close to a brown rucksack,
and an officer in forensic overalls could be
seen taking photographs of the knives.

Westminster has been on a state of
heightened alert since Masood launched his
attack on March 22, killing five people,
including Pc Keith Palmer.

The 52-year-old drove at pedestrians before
stabbing Pc Palmer as he guarded the
cobbled forecourt of the Palace of
Westminster.

He was shot dead by police.
Theresa May was away from Number 10 on a campaign visit at the time of Thursday’s
incident, which did not disrupt work in
Downing Street, a spokeswoman said.

Mrs May said the police and security services were owed a ‘huge debt of gratitude’.

‘I think it shows that our police and our
intelligence and security services are on the
alert as they always are, looking to keep us
safe and secure,’ she said.

A French tourist, who was in New York on
9/11 and was visiting London with her
daughter, saw the arrest happen.

The witness, who declined to be named, said: ‘He was very calm. I think they got him on the ground, then they stood him up against the wall.

‘There were lots of policemen. The road was
blocked.

‘We didn’t stay here, we just moved because
I was a bit afraid because of my daughter.’
Another witness told Sky News the suspect
seemed ‘relaxed’ and said he looked like a
‘typical guy’.