UK police name two London attackers, say one investigated before
One of the three attackers who killed seven people near London Bridge on
Saturday night was previously investigated by British security services but had
not been viewed as a serious threat, British police said on Monday.
Khuram Shazad Butt, aged 27, was a British citizen born in Pakistan, who was
already known to police and Britain's domestic spy agency MI5, London's police
force said.
"However, there was no intelligence to suggest that this attack was being
planned and the investigation had been prioritized accordingly," police said in
a statement.
The second attacker was named as 30-year-old Rachid Redouane, who police said
claimed to be Moroccan and Libyan, and also went by the name Rachid Elkhdar with
a different date of birth. Both men lived in the same area of east London.
Police said they were still working to establish the identity of the third
attacker. Late on Saturday the three attackers drove south across London Bridge,
mowing down pedestrians before stabbing bystanders in the nearby Borough Market
area.
British police are stretched by the number of people they believe could
potentially commit an act of terrorism. There are 500 current investigations
involving 3,000 potential suspects.
"A small number of the highest priority investigations involve current attack
planning, and these investigations command a significant proportion of our
resource," police said.
Prime Minister Theresa May came under pressure from the media and the
opposition Labour Party on Monday over cuts to police funding during the years
when she was interior minister.
Saturday's attacks - which in addition to the seven dead left dozens in need
of hospital treatment, including 18 in a critical condition - came less than a
week before Britons vote in a national election.
"Our work necessarily involves making difficult judgements about how to
prioritize the resources available to us at a time when the UK is facing a
severe and high tempo terrorist threat," police said.
Source: Reuters
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