UK Police Find No Evidence London Attacker Associated With Daesh, Al-Qaeda

MOSCOW (Sputnik) — While London attacker Khalid Masood was interested in jihad, there is so far no evidence that indicates his association with either the Islamic State (ISIL or Daesh) or al-Qaeda terrorist groups (both banned in Russia), London Metropolitan Police said Monday in a statement.

"There is no evidence that Masood was radicalised in prison in 2003, as has been suggested; this is pure speculation at this time. Whilst I have found no evidence of an association with IS [Islamic State] or AQ [al-Qaeda], there is clearly an interest in Jihad," Senior National Coordinator for UK Counter Terrorism Policing Neil Basu said, as quoted in the statement.

Basu added that Masood’s minimalist attack method resembled those of Daesh terrorists "in terms of methodology and attacking police and civilians," but it is still not known whether or not he discussed the terrorist act with anyone prior to committing it.

On Wednesday, Masood, an UK-born Islam convert, drove his car into pedestrians on the Westminster Bridge in the center of London. Armed with a knife, he then left the car and attempted to enter the UK Parliament building. The attack left five people, including the attacker, dead and at least 50 more injured. The Daesh terrorist group has claimed responsibility for the attack.

The attacker was born in Kent and lived in West Midlands, according to Metropolitan Police. He had several previous convictions for assaults and possession of offensive weapons. The last conviction was in 2003.