UK police have named the London attacker as British-born Khalid Masood and revealed he had been investigated by MI5 intelligence officers over concerns about violent extremism.
Although ISIS claimed responsibility for the attack, they did not name Masood and gave no details, making it unclear whether he was directly connected to the terrorist group.
Masood, 52, was born in Kent, southeast England and was most recently living in the West Midlands, police say.
The married father of three, who had previously worked as an English teacher, had an extensive criminal history, although no terrorist offences.
“Masood was not the subject of any current investigations and there was no prior intelligence about his intent to mount a terrorist attack,” the Metropolitan Police said in a statement.
“However, he was known to police and has a range of previous convictions for assaults, including GBH [grievous bodily harm], possession of offensive weapons and public order offences.”
UK Prime Minister Theresa May said that while Masood had been under surveillance in the past, he was a “peripheral figure” who was not suspected of plotting any specific attacks.
It has also emerged the car Masood used to mow down pedestrians was from a rental firm in Birmingham.
“An employee identified the vehicle after seeing the licence plate in an image online,” company spokesman John Davies said.
“We ran another check to verify, and immediately contacted the authorities.”
The death toll has risen to five, including Masood, after a 75-year-old man injured in the attack died in hospital.
Twenty-eight of the 40 injured in the attack remain in hospital, with six in critical condition.
Police believe he acted alone, but are investigating possible associates and have arrested eight people so far.
