The mystery of Khalid Masood’s journey into violence and terror
Police experts will study every aspect of the life of the 52-year-old who wreaked havoc at parliament. But his motives are a conundrum that may never be solved
Around Christmas, neighbours saw a van outside a small but comfortable home in the Winson Green neighbourhood of Birmingham. Khalid Masood, his partner and two children were moving out. Their new home was close by, but infinitely less salubrious. Their canalside terrace house had been swapped for a tiny bedsit above a restaurant on a busy road.
This and many other details will be picked over by analysts seeking to reconstitute the life of the man who killed four people with a 4x4 vehicle and knives before being shot dead outside the Houses of Parliament last week. The official aim will be to build up a comprehensive picture of the man responsible for the most lethal terrorist attack in Britain since 2005, in order to understand how he could have been stopped. Another aim will be simply to understand what turns someone into a terrorist killer.
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