Anti-terror police were today searching a flat in the heart of London’s Olympic Village as part of a major investigation into the Westminster terror attack.
The tenant of the first-floor new-build flat in Stratford is believed to have previously lived with killer Khalid Masood, 52, at an address in Forest Gate.
The swoop came as details of Masood’s past emerged. Born Adrian Elms to a single-mother in Rye, Sussex, he converted to Islam after a life of violent crime which saw him jailed in 2003 for stabbing a man in the face.
According to the Sun, he spent his last night in a £59 hotel in Brighton before driving to the capital in a rented 4×4 to unleash carnage which last night led to the death of a fourth victim, age 75.
Last night officers could be seen rifling through rooms and examining items on the balcony of the nine-storey tower, which overlooks the Stratford International station and Westfield Stratford shopping centre.
The raid was one of several to take place around the country as police made eight arrests in connection with Wednesday’s attack.
One Stratford resident said: “I was leaving my flat about this morning and there was already police going into the building. There was an ambulance and a rescue team. I thought maybe it was domestic or something.
But then on the way home there was two more people going into the building. I didn’t expect it to be so serious.
He added: It’s a little bit of a shock for me but it can happen anywhere.
Another neighbour said part of the block consisted of privately rented flats, while others were let through a housing association.
Masood is thought to have previously shared a house with the woman and her children in quiet street in nearby Forest Gate.
A neighbour, who did not want to be named, said: He never stood out or anything. I only saw the kids and the mother. That was the one thing you did notice – you saw them but you never saw the man.
The man said the family, which also included the wife’s elderly mother, had moved out of the house last year or the year before.
Aysha Frade, 43, was killed in the terrorist attack in London (Facebook)
He added: They told me they were moving to the Olympic Village.
Three young girls aged between 8 and 16 had also lived at the flat, he said.
A 75-year-old man last night became the fourth to die following the terror attack when his life support machine was switched off at King’s College Hospital.
Victim Kurt Cochran, pictured with his wife Melissa who suffered serious injuries
The victims of the attack also include PC Keith Palmer, Spanish college worker Aysha Frade, and US tourist Kurt Cochran, who was on holiday in London with his wife.
Mr Cochran’s son today said: I never imagined him leaving us like this.
President Trump led tributes to Kurt Cochran, who he described as a great American.
Mr Cochran’s son Tylor said today: Over 81k likes from a tweet from POTUS that had my father’s name in his mouth. Lord knows none of us will get the same recognition on the way out.
Five people remain in a critical condition after Masood ploughed a car down Westminster Bridge and stormed the Parliamentary estate armed with two blades.
The nation’s mourning will continue today as candlelit vigils for the victims are scheduled in Birmingham and London.
Last night thousands of people, including Mayor of London Sadiq Khan, paid tribute to the victims in Trafalgar Square in a mass vigil.
Mr Khan had encouraged everyone visiting our city to join together in memory of those who lost their lives and to show the world that we are more committed than ever to the values that we hold dear that we remain united and open.
Mr Khan described the attacker as evil and twisted but said Londoners would pull together.