UK police make another arrest in parliament attack probe

UK police officers secure the area near the Houses of Parliament in central London on March 23, 2017, the day after the March 22 terror attack in Westminster. (Photo by AFP)

The British police have made yet another arrest as part of their investigation into the recent terror attack near the Parliament in London.
The Metropolitan Police said on Sunday a 30-year-old man was apprehended in the central English city of Birmingham "on suspicion of preparation of terrorist acts."
The police said the man is in custody under the Terrorism Act (TACT).
In a statement, the police said they arrested a total of 12 people in connection with the attack but nine were released with no further action.
At least four people were killed and 50 others were injured in the attack on Wednesday after the assailant plowed a car into pedestrians and stabbed a police officer near the British Parliament in London, an incident that has been declared a terrorist incident. The attacker was also shot dead by the police.
Earlier, Home Secretary Amber Rudd said the intelligence services must have access to encrypted social messaging services.

(L-R) London Mayor Sadiq Khan, British Home Secretary Amber Rudd and Acting Commissioner of the Metropolitan Police Service Craig Mackey lead a vigil in Trafalgar Square in central London on March 23, 2017 in solidarity with the victims of the March 22 terror attack at the British Parliament and on Westminster Bridge. (Photo by AFP) 

The perpetrator of the attack in Westminster, British-born Khalid Masood, is believed to have used messaging app WhatsApp on the same day.
However, rights groups said accessing social media messages amounts to spying and intrusion of people’s privacy.
The Saudi Embassy in the United Kingdom on Friday confirmed Masood had visited the kingdom three times.
Earlier, Britain’s The Sun newspaper reported that the London attack suspect was a former English teacher working at the institution controlling Saudi Arabia’s civil aviation.