Police find ‘no evidence’ London attacker associated with Islamic State or al-Qaeda

Police have found no evidence that the man who killed four people in the attack outside the British Parliament in London last week was associated with the Islamic State group or al-Qaeda, a senior British counterterrorism officer said Monday.

Deputy Assistant Commissioner Neil Basu of the Metropolitan Police said Westminster attacker Khalid Masood clearly had “an interest in jihad”, but police have no indication he discussed his attack plans with others.

Basu, who also serves as Britain’s senior national coordinator for counterterrorism policing, said Wednesday’s attack — in which Masood ran down pedestrians on London’s Westminster Bridge before fatally stabbing a policeman guarding Parliament — “appears to be based on low-sophistication, low-tech, low-cost techniques copied from other attacks.”

Masood was shot dead by police after his deadly rampage, which police have revealed lasted just 82 seconds.

Police believe Masood — a 52-year-old Briton with convictions for violence who had spent several years in Saudi Arabia — acted alone, but are trying to determine whether others helped inspire or direct his actions.