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WORLD NEWS Tuesday 6 June 2017

Alleged London attacker was a known radical Islamist

By DANICA KIRKA lice about 18 months ago.
PAISLEY DODDS The 42-year-old mother of
LORI HINNANT three was working at a lo-
Associated Press cal school when she no-
LONDON (AP) — One of ticed Butt,
the men believed to have who was also known as
carried out a deadly week- Abu Mohamed, meeting
end attack in central Lon- with local children and try-
don was a known radical ing to draw them into his
Islamist who was filmed un- radicalism.
furling a black flag resem- “It was wrong what he was
bling the one used by the doing,” Gasparri said. “He
Islamic State group and kept talking about the Is-
raised the suspicion of a lamic State. I got very an-
neighbor after allegedly gry.”
trying to lure local young- Salaudeen Jailabdeen,
sters to join his jihadist cam- who lived near Butt, said
paign. the alleged assailant had
On Monday, British po- once been ejected from
lice identified that man, a local mosque for inter-
Khuram Shazad Butt, a rupting an imam. Another
27-year-old Pakistan-born neighbor, Michael Mimbo,
Briton, as one of the assail- said he saw the van used
ants, saying he was known in the attack near his home
to authorities, though they on Saturday, but didn’t see
had no evidence he was This undated handout photo provided by the Metropolitan Police shows Khuram Shazad Butt who was behind the wheel.
planning an attack. and Rachid Redouane. Police have named two of the London Bridge attack suspects as Khuram He said the vehicle was
They identified a second Shazad Butt and Rachid Redouane. (Metropolitan Police via AP) seen going the wrong way
attacker who had not down a one-way street
aroused suspicion prior to and was later seen speed-
Saturday’s rampage that Next Door,” that aired on biggest mosque and help- nodding as he listens to a ing off, followed closely by
killed seven people. British television last year. ing to display a black flag sermon in which the speak- a small red car.
As details about Butt Neighbors identified Butt covered in white Arabic er tells those gathered: The second alleged at-
emerged, however, they from the film’s footage lettering similar to the one “This is not the real life, my tacker was identified by
prompted questions of Monday, pointing to a used by the Islamic State dear brothers. This is a pass- police as Rachid Red-
whether he could have scene in which he is shown group, which took responsi- ing time for us.” ouane, who alternately
been stopped sooner. participating in a provoca- bility for the attack. Butt’s apparent zealotry used the surname Elkhdar,
He had appeared in a tive prayer session at Re- Butt is also seen in the film led one neighbor, Erica and claimed to be Moroc-
documentary, “The Jihadis gents Park, near London’s sprawling on the lawn and Gasparri, to contact po- can and Libyan. q
Germany, Turkey fail to break deadlock over air base visit

By SUZAN FRASER Minister Mevlut Cavusoglu tional coalition against the Konya is possible but not soldiers and other individu-
Associated Press called for “positive steps” Islamic State group. Ger- to Incirlik,” Cavusoglu said als that Turkey accuses of
ANKARA, Turkey (AP) — on Turkey’s requests for man deployments abroad at a news conference with participating in last year’s
Turkey on Monday refused Germany to crack down require parliamentary ap- German counterpart Sig- failed coup.
to budge on its refusal to on Kurdish rebels and al- proval, mar Gabriel Turkey also accuses Ger-
let German lawmakers visit leged coup plotters. and German leaders say . “In the future, if the condi- many of harboring Kurd-
troops stationed at a Turkish Cavusoglu said Turkey it’s essential that lawmak- tions are there and there is ish militant groups, which it
air base, a stance that left would allow German legis- ers be able to visit troops as normalization (a visit to) In- considers to be terrorists.
NATO ally Germany on the lators to visit a NATO base they want. cirlik may be possible.” Relocating the troops from
verge of a likely decision to in the central province of Germany’s defense minis- “If Germany takes positive Incirlik appears politically
move those troops to Jor- Konya, but not Incirlik Air ter said her country’s Cabi- steps, we will always take inevitable after Monday’s
dan. Base, where about 270 net will decide Wednesday two (positive) steps. rebuff, though the timing
Speaking after a meet- German troops are sta- “where we relocate (the But we cannot ignore the isn’t yet clear.
ing with his German coun- tioned with Tornado recon- troops) and whether we re- current situation,” he said. There is no appetite in Ger-
terpart that was widely naissance jets and a refuel- locate.” She said that “we Turkey blocked the latest many, which faces elec-
viewed as the last chance ing plane. are well-prepared for a re- Incirlik visit request in anger tions in September, for
to resolve an impasse over The German troops at Incir- location.” over German authorities’ making concessions to the
the visits, Turkish Foreign lik are part of the interna- “At the moment, a visit to decision to grant asylum to Turkish government.q