Latest: Third victim of Westminster attack named as American tourist Kirk Cochran

Latest: Four people were killed in the attack in Westminster yesterday. These were: Aysha Frade, 43; a man in his mid 50s, PC Keith Palmer and the attacker.

Latest: Third victim of Westminster attack named as American tourist Kirk Cochran
  • Four people were killed in the attack in Westminster yesterday. These were: Aysha Frade, 43; a man in his mid 50s, PC Keith Palmer, US tourist Kirk Cochran and the attacker - 52-year-old Khalid Masood;
  • 29 people were treated for their injuries in hospital, incuding one Irish person; seven of these are critically ill; numbers of ‘walking wounded’ are still being collated;
  • The attacker has not yet been publicly identified, and police have asked the media to not yet do so;
  • The Westminster attacker was a British citizen who was known to the police and security services and had been investigated some years ago over violent extremism, Theresa May has confirmed;
  • The Islamic State group has said through its Aaamaq news agency that the London attacker was a "soldier of the Islamic State";
  • Eight people have been arrested in raids at six addresses in connection with the investigation overnight; The raids took place in London, Birmingham and at other, undisclosed, locations;
  • Metropolitan Police say the attacker acted alone, but was ‘inspired by international terrorism’;
  • British Defence Secretary Michael Fallon has said the working assumption is that the Westminster attack is linked to Islamic terrorism.

Update 4.30pm: Donald Trump has paid tribute to tourist Kurt Cochran, who was among the three people killed in yesterday's terrorist attack in London.

The U.S President's described him as a "great American" and says his "prayers and condolences are with his family and friends."

He was in London as part of his 25th wedding celebrations - his wife Melissa is among the injured.

Update 3.40pm The third victim of the London terror attack has been named by his family as American tourist Kurt Cochran, from Utah.

Posting on social media, his relatives said he was visiting London as part of his 25th wedding anniversary.

US president Donald Trump has tweeted to send his condolences to Mr Cochran’s family.

His wife Melissa is among the 29 people injured, who relatives say is expected to recover.

Tributes have also been paid to a "wonderful" mother-of-two Aysha Frade and policeman Keith Palmer, who's been described by Theresa May as "every inch a hero."

Update 10.15am: Scotland Yard said eight people have now been arrested as part of the investigation into the Westminster terror attack.

Meanwhile, victims of the attack are being treated in hospitals across London.

Seven patients are critically ill. Earlier, police confirmed a total of 29 people were hospitalised after yesterday's attack. Numbers of 'walking wounded' are still being collated.

King's College Hospital has confirmed its A&E department took in eight patients - six men and two women. Two of these patients are in a critical condition, while six are stable.

At St Thomas' Hospital, two patients - a man and a woman - remain in a stable condition. The Royal London Hospital said it admitted one patient but a spokeswoman said no further detail could be given on whether that patient died, is being treated or has been discharged.

The London Ambulance Service said 68 paramedics and crews responded to the attack, together with staff working in control rooms.

Paramedics from the service treated 12 patients for serious injuries, who were all taken to hospital. Eight more patients were treated for less serious injuries at the scene.

Flowers outside the Queen Elizabeth II Centre in London. Pic: PA
Flowers outside the Queen Elizabeth II Centre in London. Pic: PA

A Go Fund Me page, set up at midnight last night, has raised more than £2,000 to help the loved ones of murdered PC Keith Palmer.

The page description reads: "An officer fell in the line of duty today. The weeks ahead are going to be taxing for his family and colleagues who survive him.

"Please help to support his family in any way you can. All funds raised will be donated to Keith's next of kin."

A string of comments from those who knew Pc Palmer were posted, with one writing: "So proud to have worked with such a great guy, R.I.P Keith."

Another wrote: "Remembering Keith as a very professional officer. Thinking of his family, friends and colleagues."

Several Just Giving pages have also been set up, one of which has raised more than £4,000.

The Metropolitan Police Federation will be launching their own memorial fund for Pc Palmer at 12.30pm.

The Just Giving page is being set up because of pleas from Federation members who wanted to help in some way, chairman Ken Marsh said.

He said: "That's why we are doing it, because of the overwhelming amount of our colleagues asking for it."

Update 9.50am A minute's silence was held across the UK at 9.33am, including in the Palace of Westminster and at New Scotland Yard, to commemorate the three innocent people killed in Wednesday's assault on Westminster.

The time for the silence was chosen in honour of murdered police officer Keith Palmer's shoulder number - 933.

Update 8.45am: One of the victims of yesterday's attack in London has been named as 43-year-old teacher and mother-of-two Aysha Frade.

She was hit by the attacker's car, and killed, as she walked across Westminster Bridge to pick up her two daughters, aged eight and 11, from school.

Mrs Frade was born in Britain and held a British passport. Her family is understood to have come from Betanzos, in north Spain.

Mrs Frade worked in the administration team at DLD College London, just a few hundred metres from Westminster Bridge, principal Rachel Borland confirmed.

She was "a highly regarded and loved" member of staff.

Ms Borland said: "We are all deeply shocked and saddened at the news that one of the victims yesterday was a member of our staff, Aysha Frade. All our thoughts and our deepest sympathies are with her family.

"We will be offering every support we can to them as they try to come to terms with their devastating loss.

"Aysha worked as a member of our administration team at the college. She was highly regarded and loved by our students and by her colleagues. She will be deeply missed by all of us."

Vigi Sawdon, a former neighbour of Mrs Frade in Notting Hill where the Frade family used to live, said: "If you can imagine one of the most upstanding members of society, that was her. She was just a wonderful mother and a lovely person."

Ms Sawdon described her as "one of the most charming" people, and said her children were "adorable", adding: "It's just so terribly sad."

She said she knew they had moved and that they were "very happy".

Flowers outside the Queen Elizabeth II Centre in London. Pic: PA
Flowers outside the Queen Elizabeth II Centre in London. Pic: PA

'What am I hearing here? What am I hearing?'

Another neighbour, Patricia Scotland, said she had lived beside the family for years and was sad when they moved, having known Mrs Frade's husband John since he was a little boy.

She said: "I was in floods of tears. I said 'John, why, why are you moving?'"

Ms Scotland said her daughter rang her this morning with the news that Mrs Frade had been killed.

She said: "I just jumped out my bed and just paced up and down my house thinking 'What am I hearing here? What am I hearing?' And I'm just in total, total shock."

She added: "I'm just wanting them to know that I'm saddened by it all and my deepest, deepest, deepest condolences to them. She will be sadly missed.

"I was very saddened when they were moving and now to hear this it's like I've lost part of me, you know? Somebody who was me, because we all grew together."

Update 7.45am: Police have confirmed seven people remain critically ill after yesterday's terror attack in London. Four people, including the attacker, died.

The death toll was revised downwards by one this morning, to four. These include the police officer PC Keith Palmer, who was stabbed to death, two members of the public and the attacker himself.

The dead members of the public were a woman in her mid 40s and a man in his mid 50s, who police have not yet publicly identified.

Twenty-nine people are now confirmed as having received hospital treatment due to their injuries. The numbers of "walking wounded" are still being collated.

The London attacker is moved to an ambulance yesterday. Picture: PA
The London attacker is moved to an ambulance yesterday. Picture: PA

It has also been confirmed that seven people were arrested at six addresses in police operations overnight and this morning. The raids took place in Birmingham, London and at other undisclosed locations.

The Metropolitan Police's senior anti-terror officer Mark Rowley asked the media to not identify the attacker at this stage.

He said: "It is still our belief - which continues to be born out by our investigation - that this attacker acted alone yesterday and was inspired by international terrorism.

"To be explicit - at this stage, we have no specific information about further threats to the public.

"Clearly our investigation is ongoing - developing all the time - and is focused on his motivation, his preparation and associates.

"I do recognise that the media are making progress in identifying the attacker - I would continue to ask that his name is not published whilst we are at such a sensitive stage in our investigation - and as I state still conducting arrests and searches.

Earlier:

Armed police have launched a late-night raid on an address in Birmingham after yesterday's deadly attack in London in which four people died and 40 were injured.

The attacker, who it is believed acted alone, was shot dead by policeat the scene in London yesterday, and is numbered among the five fatalities. So is the police officer he stabbed to death, who has been named as 48-year-old father PC Keith Palmer.

West Midlands Police referred inquiries about the overnight operation on Hagley Road in Birmingham city to the Metropolitan Police, who refused to say whether it was connected with yesterday's attack in Westminster.

But a witness who works nearby told the Press Association: "The man from London (the attacker) lived here."

Officers stormed a second-floor flat above a row of shops on Hagley Road at around 11pm, the witness said.

He added: "They came and arrested three men."

One of the flat's windows was covered in cardboard, with non-uniformed officers spotted taking pieces of equipment into the property.

As he was describing the events, the witness was interrupted by a police officer, who had been guarding the scene.

He had his details taken and was convinced to go to a police station with another officer.

Meanwhile, police worked through the night to identify the roots of the deadly terror plot which brought bloodshed to the streets of London.

Sky News reports that South Korean consular officials have said five of their nationals were among the injured in the Westminster attack.

Three women and one man in their 50s and 60s suffered injuries including broken bones while another woman in her 60s suffered a head injury and has been in surgery.

It is not known how seriously they were injured.

Prime Minister Hwang Kyo-Ahn says the South Korean government is focused on bringing those injured home safely.

A group of French schoolchildren were also among those targeted on the bridge, with three injured.

Pic via BBC
Pic via BBC

Here are some of the key questions the investigation will seek to answer:

What was the background of the killer?

The identity of the knifeman who injured scores of pedestrians in a car before rampaging into the Palace of Westminster has yet to be made public.

Detectives will probe the man's background extensively to see if he was known to authorities.

If he was was not on the radar of security services, questions will be asked about why this was, but if he had been highlighted as a potential threat, this will likely be viewed as a major security failing.

If he was known to police, why was he not being closely monitored?

Counter-terrorism efforts are shared between the police - spearheaded by the Metropolitan Police - and GCHQ, MI5 and MI6.

Round-the-clock monitoring is only possible on a handful of high-priority terror suspects due to limited resources, potentially meaning the Westminster attacker could have slipped through the surveillance net.

Top anti-terror officer Mark Rowley suggested the assailant could have been "inspired by international terrorism", which will lead officers to scour for potential links overseas.

How many people were involved in planning and executing the attack?

It appears only one man directly carried out the bloody assault on Westminster Bridge and the Houses of Parliament, but others could have helped shape the plot.

A key focus of the investigation will be whether the man was inspired by a terror cell such as Islamic State - receiving support and funding either domestically or from abroad - or whether he was a so-called lone wolf.

How did the knifeman's rampage penetrate the Palace of Westminster, the grounds of the UK Houses of Parliament?

Despite the Houses of Parliament being among the most closely guarded sites in the UK, the attacker managed to burst through the Carriage Gates.

It is usually manned by armed police and blocked by metal barricades, with barriers in place to stop vehicles advancing.

Described by MP Mary Creagh in reports as a "weak spot", the access point is regularly opened to allow cars to pass in and out.

Why the gate was not firmly locked - especially after the car driven by the killer crashed into the nearby railings - will be a point of concern for detectives.

How did the attacker make it so deep into the grounds?

When he was fatally shot on the cobbled paths which feed into the Palace of Westminster, the terrorist had carried out an attack of significant breadth.

He had mowed down bystanders on the length of Westminster Bridge, crashed his vehicle, ran around the corner and into the Palace grounds, past a line of security.

Many will be asking how his slaughter was able to continue as long as it did.

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