Khater to Appear for Hearing at the Old Bailey End of August

A police van suspected of carrying Salih Khater arrives at Westminster Magistrates court in central London on August 20, 2018. Ben STANSALL / AFP
A police van suspected of carrying Salih Khater arrives at Westminster Magistrates court in central London on August 20, 2018. Ben STANSALL / AFP
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Khater to Appear for Hearing at the Old Bailey End of August

A police van suspected of carrying Salih Khater arrives at Westminster Magistrates court in central London on August 20, 2018. Ben STANSALL / AFP
A police van suspected of carrying Salih Khater arrives at Westminster Magistrates court in central London on August 20, 2018. Ben STANSALL / AFP

Sudanese-born British national Salih Khater, who faces charges of attempted murder for crashing his car into the security barriers surrounding Britain's Houses of Parliament, appeared in court Monday to confirm his name, date of birth and address.

The Metropolitan Police force said 29-year-old Khater faces two charges — attempting to kill police officers, and attempting to kill members of the public.

During a six-minute hearing at Westminster Magistrates' Court in central London, he confirmed his name, date of birth and address.

Khater, who is originally from Sudan, also confirmed he was British. He made no application for bail and was remanded in custody.

"Due to the methodology, iconic location and the alleged targeting of civilians and police officers, the CPS (Crown Prosecution Service) are treating this case as terrorism," police have said.

Police believe a car was deliberately driven into pedestrians and cyclists, injuring three people, before ramming a security barrier outside parliament last Tuesday.

The crash came less than 18 months after an attacker plowed a car into pedestrians on Westminster Bridge, killing four people, then fatally stabbed a police officer before being shot dead in a courtyard outside parliament.

Khater will next appear for another short hearing at the Old Bailey in London, England's central criminal court, on August 31.

According to the BBC, Khater worked in Libya for two years as a farm laborer before going to the UK in 2010 as a refugee and then being granted asylum.



Spain's Sanchez Urges Other EU Members to Suspend Free Trade Agreement with Israel

Spain's Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez attends a military parade to mark the country's National Day, in Madrid, Spain, October 12, 2024. REUTERS/Isabel Infantes
Spain's Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez attends a military parade to mark the country's National Day, in Madrid, Spain, October 12, 2024. REUTERS/Isabel Infantes
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Spain's Sanchez Urges Other EU Members to Suspend Free Trade Agreement with Israel

Spain's Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez attends a military parade to mark the country's National Day, in Madrid, Spain, October 12, 2024. REUTERS/Isabel Infantes
Spain's Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez attends a military parade to mark the country's National Day, in Madrid, Spain, October 12, 2024. REUTERS/Isabel Infantes

Spanish Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez on Monday urged other members of the European Union to respond to Madrid and Ireland's request to suspend the bloc's free trade agreement with Israel over its actions in Gaza and Lebanon.
For months, both Spain and Ireland have been in talks with other EU countries who want a review of the EU-Israel Association Agreement on the basis that Israel may be breaching the agreement's human rights clause.
Israel began a war on the Gaza Strip a year ago after the Iran-backed Palestinian Hamas group launched a surprise attack into Israel killing 1,200 Israelis and taking 250 people hostage.

The war has shattered much of the Hamas-controlled Gaza Strip, killing more than 42,000 Palestinians, according to the Gaza Health Ministry, which does not differentiate between fighters and civilians. It says more than half were women and children.
In late September, Israel shifted some of its focus to Hezbollah, which holds much of the power in parts of southern Lebanon and some other areas of the country, attacking the militants with exploding pagers, airstrikes and, eventually, incursions into Lebanon.