Salih Khater: Man appears in court charged with attempted murder after car crash outside Parliament

Three people treated for non-life threatening injuries after the crash

Salih Khater, in a picture posted on Facebook in 2010 (Facebook)

A man accused of attempting to murder members of the public and police officers outside the Houses of Parliament has appeared in court.

Salih Khater, 29, allegedly drove a Ford Fiesta into cyclists and pedestrians before swerving towards police officers and crashing into a security barrier.

The Sudanese-born suspect, who is a British citizen, was arrested by armed police outside the Palace of Westminster last Tuesday.

Two people were taken to hospital after the crash and a third was treated at the scene. None were said to have life threatening injuries.

Mr Khater, of Highgate Street, Birmingham, appeared at Westminster Magistrates' Court on Monday charged with two counts of attempted murder.

The charges state that he attempted to murder people at the junction of Parliament Square and Abingdon Street and police officers in Abingdon Street on 14 August.

The aftermath of the crash outside the Houses of Parliament (PA)

Police said prosecutors will be treating his case as terrorism due to the method of the alleged attack, the targets selected and the high-profile location.

Mr Khater appeared in the dock wearing white trousers and a grey T-shirt.

He spoke only to confirm his name, date of birth, address and that he was British during a hearing lasting less than six minutes.

His lawyer, Johanna Quinn, made no application for bail and Chief Magistrate Emma Arbuthnot remanded Mr Khater in custody.

He will next appear at the Old Bailey on 31 August.

PA