Police Name London Attack Suspect As 52-Year-Old British-Born Khalid Masood

London police have named the suspected assailant in the March 22 Westminster terrorist attack as 52-year-old Khalid Masood, a British-born man thought to have resided most recently in the West Midlands, a metropolitan county that includes the city of Birmingham.

Meanwhile, authorities say eight people who were arrested in raids across the United Kingdom on March 23 are being held on “suspicion of preparing terrorist acts.”

They include seven suspects detained in the city of Birmingham and one arrested in east London.

Police on March 23 said Masood, who was shot dead by police within the security perimeter of the British Parliament in the midst of the terrorist attack, also was known by several other aliases.

They said Masood had not been the subject of any current investigations by British authorities and there was “no prior intelligence about his intent to mount a terrorist attack.”

British Prime Minister Theresa May told the House of Commons earlier on March 23 that the attacker was “a peripheral figure” known to security authorities and had been investigated for violent extremism.

Police said they were working on the assumption that Masood was inspired by Islamist terrorism. They said he did not have any convictions on terrorism charges.

Authorities confirmed that Masood had previous convictions for assaults, including grievous bodily harm, possession of offensive weapons, and public disorder.