POLICE last night released the names of two of the three men who carried out Saturday’s terror attack in London. Khuram Shazad Butt and Rachid Redouane were identified as being involved in the atrocity, which killed seven people and injured 48.
They and the third attacker, whose identity has yet to be confirmed, were shot dead by armed officers within eight minutes of the violence beginning. The three used a white van to drive into pedestrians on London Bridge before exiting the vehicle and entering the Borough Market area, armed with knives.
Police said Butt, 27, was a Pakistan-born British citizen and 30-year-old Redouane had claimed to be Moroccan and Libyan, also going by the name Rachid Elkhdar. Both were from Barking in east London.
It is understood Butt, who was married with children, featured in a documentary on Islamist extremists linked to hate preacher Anjem Choudary. Scotland Yard confirmed Butt was known to police and MI5, but said there had been no intelligence to suggest an attack. Unsubstantiated reports suggested Redouane had been married to a Scot.
Ten people are still be questioned following a spate of arrests and Metropolitan Police Assistant Commissioner Mark Rowley said: “Work is ongoing to understand more about them, their connections and whether they were assisted or supported by anyone else.”
First Minister Nicola Sturgeon said yesterday that the Scottish Government is “not complacent” about threats, stating: “We’re not immune from these threats, but unlike other parts of the UK we have also maintained police numbers and increased armed policing.
“There’s been 20,000 police officers lost in England, but in Scotland we’ve maintained 1000 more than the number we inherited in 2007, and we’ve taken steps to increase the number who are trained to carry firearms.
“If you look at the days following the Manchester attack, Police Scotland were able to provide the heightened level of police cover, including armed policing, without calling on the resources of the military. I’m not complacent and we have to make sure our police officers are well-resourced and well-equipped, but I think Scotland here is in a much stronger position than other parts of the UK.”
Scottish LibDem leader Willie Rennie insisted the force needed another £55 million to be “fit for the future”, saying: “Our once proud police service has been battered and bruised in recent years as a result of mismanagement and poor leadership.
“We need to ensure our police service is fit for the future.”
Calum Steele, general secretary of Scottish Police Federation, said officers need more personal protective equipment: “We have police officers who are facing guns, knives, extreme violence and they do not have the capability to protect themselves.”
Justice Secretary Michael Matheson said resources are under “constant review”.
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