London (CNN)Police investigating the deadly terrorist attack in central London are focusing closely on how the perpetrator became radicalized, as they battle to piece together his identity and connections.
Britain's
most senior counter-terror police officer, Mark Rowley, described the
inquiry as "very large and fast-paced", and announced two "significant
arrests" Friday. Hundreds of officers had made contact with thousands of
witnesses, he said.
Police have said that the attacker, 52-year-old British man Khalid Masood, had multiple aliases. Rowley said he was born Adrian Russell Ajao.
London Attack: An animated map 00:55
Asked
about his possible conversion to Islam and subsequent radicalization,
Rowley said: "Clearly that's the main line of our investigation, is what
led him to be radicalized, was it through influences in a community,
influences from overseas, or through online propaganda."
He
appealed for anyone who knew Masood well or was aware of his recent
movements to get in touch, as detectives probe his motivation, his
preparation for the attack and his associates.
Nine people remain in custody and one woman has been released on bail, Rowley said.
Investigation continues
Police continue to search five addresses and another 16 searches have concluded.
A police officer leaves a building in Birmingham, raided by anti-terror forces in the early hours of March 23, 2017.
Officers
have seized 2,700 items, including "massive amounts" of computer data,
and have had contact with 3,500 witnesses to the attack, many of them of
different nationalities, Rowley said.
Echoing
remarks by UK Prime Minister Theresa May, Rowley said Masood had
"several years ago been a peripheral figure, he's never been part of the
mainstream intelligence picture of terrorism."
He
added, "Whilst there is still no evidence of further threats, you will
understand our determination is to find out if either he acted totally
alone, inspired perhaps by terrorist propaganda, or if others
encouraged, supported or directed him."
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The attack left four people dead
and injured at least 50 more, 31 of whom needed hospital treatment,
Rowley said. Two people are in critical condition and another has
life-threatening injuries.
Two
police officers who were injured as the attacker plowed through crowds
walking across Westminster Bridge also remain in hospital with "very
significant" injuries, Rowley said.
The
fourth victim, a 75-year-old man, died Thursday night after his life
support was withdrawn at a hospital where he had been receiving
treatment, according to London's Metropolitan Police. He was named by
Rowley as Leslie Rhodes, from Streatham in south London.
The
other three who died were policeman Keith Palmer, stabbed as he
protected Parliament, American tourist Kurt Cochran and college
administrator Aysha Frade, a British citizen with Spanish roots.
The
Romanian Foreign Ministry said a Romanian woman was in critical
condition after undergoing complicated surgery for her injuries.
Arrests
were made in London and Birmingham, while homes were also searched in
Brighton and Carmarthenshire, in west Wales. Police said the addresses
were "linked to the investigation" of Wednesday's attack.
The
number of armed officers remains at nearly double strength in London in
the wake of the attack, Rowley said, while extra police officers are
also on patrol elsewhere in the UK.
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Photos: Deadly attack outside UK Parliament
A person is treated at the scene.
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Photos: Deadly attack outside UK Parliament
Medical aid is provided outside Parliament.
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Photos: Deadly attack outside UK Parliament
Tourists
were trapped for a time in cars on the London Eye Ferris wheel, which
was stopped in the immediate aftermath of the attack.
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Photos: Deadly attack outside UK Parliament
A police officer stands guard near Westminster Bridge and the Houses of Parliament.
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Photos: Deadly attack outside UK Parliament
A person receives medical treatment at the scene.
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Photos: Deadly attack outside UK Parliament
At right, the car of British Prime Minister Theresa May is driven away from Parliament.
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Photos: Deadly attack outside UK Parliament
An air ambulance arrives at the scene.
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Photos: Deadly attack outside UK Parliament
Armed police enter the Houses of Parliament.
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Photos: Deadly attack outside UK Parliament
A car is seen crashed into a fence outside the Parliament building in London on Wednesday, March 22. Police have launched a "full counter-terrorism investigation" after an attacker rammed a car into crowds of people and stabbed a police officer on Parliament grounds.
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Photos: Deadly attack outside UK Parliament
An
armed police officer stands over the attacker, identified as Khalid
Masood, outside Parliament. "It appeared that a car was coming towards
the House of Commons mowing down pedestrians on the way," Member of
Parliament Gerald Howarth told CNN. "The driver then got access to the
parliamentary estate, stabbed a police officer and was shot."
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Photos: Deadly attack outside UK Parliament
Masood
is treated by emergency services as police look on at the scene outside
the Houses of Parliament. The Metropolitan Police say he was born in
Kent, but is believed to have been living in the West Midlands recently.
Police say Masood was also known by a number of aliases. "Masood was
not the subject of any current investigations and there was no prior
intelligence about his intent to mount a terrorist attack," Met Police
said in a statement.
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Photos: Deadly attack outside UK Parliament
Member of Parliament Tobias Ellwood, in the glasses, tends to one of the injured people
amid the chaos. The man the politician was trying to save was a police
officer who died, a witness on the scene told CNN. Authorities
identified the deceased officer as Keith Palmer, 48.
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Photos: Deadly attack outside UK Parliament
Emergency workers attend to injured people at the scene.
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Photos: Deadly attack outside UK Parliament
Medics treat a victim on Westminster Bridge.
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Photos: Deadly attack outside UK Parliament
People
leave the Parliament building after the incident. Lawmakers were forced
to remain in the main debating chamber of the House of Commons as
police responded to the incident outside.
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Photos: Deadly attack outside UK Parliament
A person is treated at the scene.
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Photos: Deadly attack outside UK Parliament
Medical aid is provided outside Parliament.
Hide Caption
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Photos: Deadly attack outside UK Parliament
Tourists
were trapped for a time in cars on the London Eye Ferris wheel, which
was stopped in the immediate aftermath of the attack.
Hide Caption
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Photos: Deadly attack outside UK Parliament
A police officer stands guard near Westminster Bridge and the Houses of Parliament.
Hide Caption
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Photos: Deadly attack outside UK Parliament
A person receives medical treatment at the scene.
Hide Caption
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Photos: Deadly attack outside UK Parliament
At right, the car of British Prime Minister Theresa May is driven away from Parliament.
Hide Caption
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Photos: Deadly attack outside UK Parliament
An air ambulance arrives at the scene.
Hide Caption
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Photos: Deadly attack outside UK Parliament
Armed police enter the Houses of Parliament.
Hide Caption
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Photos: Deadly attack outside UK Parliament
A car is seen crashed into a fence outside the Parliament building in London on Wednesday, March 22. Police have launched a "full counter-terrorism investigation" after an attacker rammed a car into crowds of people and stabbed a police officer on Parliament grounds.
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Photos: Deadly attack outside UK Parliament
An
armed police officer stands over the attacker, identified as Khalid
Masood, outside Parliament. "It appeared that a car was coming towards
the House of Commons mowing down pedestrians on the way," Member of
Parliament Gerald Howarth told CNN. "The driver then got access to the
parliamentary estate, stabbed a police officer and was shot."
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Photos: Deadly attack outside UK Parliament
Masood
is treated by emergency services as police look on at the scene outside
the Houses of Parliament. The Metropolitan Police say he was born in
Kent, but is believed to have been living in the West Midlands recently.
Police say Masood was also known by a number of aliases. "Masood was
not the subject of any current investigations and there was no prior
intelligence about his intent to mount a terrorist attack," Met Police
said in a statement.
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Photos: Deadly attack outside UK Parliament
Member of Parliament Tobias Ellwood, in the glasses, tends to one of the injured people
amid the chaos. The man the politician was trying to save was a police
officer who died, a witness on the scene told CNN. Authorities
identified the deceased officer as Keith Palmer, 48.
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Photos: Deadly attack outside UK Parliament
Emergency workers attend to injured people at the scene.
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Photos: Deadly attack outside UK Parliament
Medics treat a victim on Westminster Bridge.
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Photos: Deadly attack outside UK Parliament
People
leave the Parliament building after the incident. Lawmakers were forced
to remain in the main debating chamber of the House of Commons as
police responded to the incident outside.
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Photos: Deadly attack outside UK Parliament
A person is treated at the scene.
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Who was the attacker?
Not
a great deal is known about Masood, who was shot dead by a police
firearms officer after he rammed a car into pedestrians on Westminster
Bridge and stabbed an unarmed police officer outside parliament.
Born
in Kent, Masood had been living in England's West Midlands region --
where Birmingham is located -- and had previous convictions, but not for
terrorism offenses, police said. His most recent conviction was in 2003
for possession of a knife.
Police have been searching an address in Birmingham's Winson Green area where Masood is thought to have been living.
Neighbors
told CNN that Masood had two or three children, aged around seven or
eight, who would play with the other local children.
Masood
always wore a robe and a cap and had a long beard, the neighbors said. A
woman thought to be his wife was not seen interacting with neighbors,
they said.
While a tweet from
ISIS-affiliated news agency Amaq claimed Masood as a "soldier" of the
terror group, inspired by its message, it provided no evidence of direct
links between Masood and ISIS and did not name him.
More arrests
A
39-year-old woman was arrested at an address Thursday night in East
London on suspicion of preparation of terrorist acts, police said. The
woman, who has not been named, is being held under the Police and
Criminal Evidence (PACE) act.
Six
people -- two women and four men, their ages ranging from 21 to 28 --
were arrested at two addresses in Birmingham, a city in central England.
The six were also held on suspicion of preparation of terrorist acts.
Another man, 58, was also arrested Friday morning at another address in Birmingham, and held on the same charge.
Vigils and defiance
A vigil was held in London Thursday in a show of solidarity and mourning for the victims.
"We
come together as Londoners tonight to remember those who have lost
their lives and all those affected by the horrific attack yesterday. But
also to send a clear message, Londoners will never be cowed by
terrorism," London Mayor Sadiq Khan told the crowd.
A
fundraising campaign for attack victims started by a Muslim man who
witnessed the incident has already raised over $25,000, according to its
website.
Muddassar Ahmed said he started the "Muslims United for London"
campaign to show "we all stand with fellow Londoners during these
difficult times and want to extend our support by raising funds to help
with the immediate, short-term needs of the victims and their families."
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