London attacker’s action not that of a true Muslim: Sadiq Khan

LONDON: Sadiq Khan, the mayor of London spoke with Geo News about the terrorist attack near the British parliament, appealing to the city’s residents to stay together and continue showing unity to defeat terrorism.  

“These actions are not that of a true Muslim. An evil and twisted individual tried to destroy our way of life and our shared values…We are not going to allow an evil and twisted individual to divide our communities.”

Sadiq Khan led a vigil ceremony at Trafalgar Square, which was attended by thousands including the police chief, home secretary and representatives of all faiths. He said terrorists wanted to evoke fear and division but this would be defeated through unity.  

According to Khan, all the faith leaders during a meeting at Scotland Yard were assured that minority communities are not victims of any backlash. “If you look at the victims who were injured, they represented people from all corners of the world and it is very important to recognize that one of the reasons why terrorists want to harm us is because they hate the fact here in London those from all faiths live together and don’t just tolerate each other but respect, celebrate and embrace each other. London is a beacon for the rest of the world and long may it continue.”

Khan emphasised that one of the reasons police had been so successful in stopping terrorist attacks in London was intelligence provided by the community. “We are going to carry and make sure to cooperate with the police, security services and emergency services to keep us safe.”

On Thursday, the London Metropolitan Police identified the suspect believed to be responsible for a terrorist attack which left four people dead near the British parliament.

Khalid Masood, aged 52, identified as the attacker, was born in Kent and detectives believe he was most recently living in the West Midlands, police said. Masood was also known by a number of aliases.

According to the Met Police, Masood was not the subject of any current investigations and there was no prior intelligence about his intent to mount a terrorist attack.