UK police detain 4 in London attack investigation, search 21 sites

Crowds gather Thursday at Trafalgar Square in London at a vigil for the victims of Wednesday’s attack.
Crowds gather Thursday at Trafalgar Square in London at a vigil for the victims of Wednesday’s attack.

4:20 P.M. UPDATE:

British police say six of the 10 people being held in connection with the attack near Britain's Parliament have been released without charge.

The two women and four men were all arrested in the central England city of Birmingham, where attacker Khalid Masood recently lived. All had been arrested on suspicion of preparing terrorist acts.

Four other people remain in custody as police try to learn how Masood became radicalized and went on a rampage Wednesday in London with an SUV and knives that killed four people. He was later shot to death by police.

Police believe Masood acted alone but want to know whether others helped him prepare the attack.

Read Saturday's Arkansas Democrat-Gazette for full details.

EARLIER:

LONDON — British police are combing through "massive amounts of computer data," have searched more than 20 sites and have contacted thousands of witnesses in an operation to trace how a British man became radicalized and launched a deadly attack on Parliament, a senior official said Friday.

In a briefing outside Scotland Yard, London's top counterterror officer, Mark Rowley, said more "significant" arrests had been made, bringing to 10 the number of people in custody over Wednesday's attack, which killed four people and the assailant.

Police said the attacker, Khalid Masood, was born Adrian Russell Ajao in southern England in 1964. He was also known as Adrian Elms and "may also be known by a number of other names," police said.

The latest arrests were a man and a woman detained early Friday in Manchester, northwest England. Police believe Masood acted alone but Rowley said police were trying to determine whether others "encouraged, supported or directed him."

The Islamic State has claimed responsibility for the attack on Westminster Bridge and at Parliament.

Detectives have searched 21 properties in London, Brighton, Wales, Manchester and the central English city of Birmingham in one of Britain's biggest counterterrorism operations in years. Wednesday's attack was the deadliest in Britain since suicide bombers killed 52 commuters on London's transit system in July 2005.

"We've seized 2,700 items from these searches, including massive amounts of computer data for us to work through," Rowley said, adding that contact had been made with 3,500 witnesses.

"We've received hundreds of uploads of video images to our online platform. Given this attack was in the heart of the capital we also, of course, are dealing with statements from a wide range of nationalities."

Masood drove his car into crowds on Westminster Bridge before fatally stabbing a police officer on Parliament grounds. He was shot dead by police.

An American man from Utah, a British retiree and British female school administrator were killed on the bridge, and police officer Keith Palmer was stabbed to death at Parliament, police said.

The latest victim, a man who died in a hospital Thursday, was identified as 75-year-old Leslie Rhodes from south London.

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