'He was going to kill me': Minister's bodyguard tells of moment he shot Westminster attacker Khalid Masood dead

'I shouted at him to drop the knives...he continued to move towards me,' close protection officer tells inquest

(AP)

The bodyguard who shot the Westminster attacker dead has told how he believed the terrorist was going to kill him.

The close protection officer recounted the moment he opened fire on Khalid Masood during the inquest into his death.

The 52-year-old extremist ran down and killed four victims on Westminster Bridge before stabbing PC Keith Palmer to death outside the Houses of Parliament on 22 March 2017.

Footage played to the Old Bailey showed other unarmed officers trying to run from the attacker before the plain clothed bodyguard moved in with a handgun drawn and shot him dead.

He and a colleague had been waiting for their “principal” – a government minister – when the horror unfolded.

Giving evidence anonymously and behind a screen, the officer – known by his call sign SA74 – described hearing shouting from police officers, adding: “I was aware of a number of uniformed police and members of the public running back in towards me [near the members' entrance to Parliament].”

He said Masood was given “clear commands of 'get back’” and continued: "The uniformed police had batons drawn. The batons were extended and they were frantically moving towards me, trying to get away from something or someone.

“I simply didn't know what was happening but I was certain that something terrible was happening.”

Becoming emotional while describing the attack, SA74 said he then saw Masood “running purposefully towards me”.

“He was carrying two large knives and I could clearly see that they were covered in blood,” he added.

“I shouted at him to drop the knife or drop the knives, I don't recollect the precise words I used. It had no effect. He continued to move towards me. He was going to kill me.”

The bodyguard said took a few steps backwards but Masood kept coming.

“I tried to create some distance ...,After shouting at him to drop the knives and seeming no change in his demeanour I fired my pistol,” he added.

"It was a quick succession of shots fired until that threat was no longer present."

His colleague, who also gave evidence anonymously and was referred to only as SB73 – said he heard Masood’s car crash into the railings surrounding Parliament before “shouting and screaming started”.

“We started moving towards the gates,” he told the Old Bailey. “There was obviously something going on with the shouting and screaming and panic that was around in the air.”

SB73 added: “There were lots of people running towards us at that stage. My colleague shouted 'knife'.”

He saw Masood with a large kitchen knife in each hand, four to five metres away and walking fast towards them.

Masood was shot dead after fatally stabbing PC Keith Palmer and running down four victims on Westminster Bridge (Reuters)

“I thought he was either going to seriously injure or kill one or both of us if he could,” he added “My colleague fired a number of shots which stopped the male ... I heard the shots and the male slumped to the ground.”

Afterwards, the officer told how he moved forward to handcuff the man with a police constable.

He noticed Masood had two gunshot wounds to the torso and went on to give him first aid.

“At that time he was still breathing. His chest was still rising and falling. He was going a grey colour,” SB73 said. “He basically stopped breathing so I started CPR .”

When asked whether he thought there was a risk the attacker could have a bomb, he agreed.

The inquest had heard how the two close protection officers had started their working day at Lambeth headquarters before heading to the Palace of Westminster to meet the minister they were responsible for at the start of their shift.

The jury was shown dramatic CCTV of the pair running through New Palace Yard towards the threat, moments after Masood had fatally stabbed PC Palmer.

SA74 could be seen to step back while Masood came forward towards him. The attacker was pronounced dead in hospital after being shot twice in the chest.

Masood's five victims were PC Palmer, 48, American tourist Kurt Cochran, 54, retired window cleaner Leslie Rhodes, 75, mother-of-two Aysha Frade, 44, and Romanian designer Andreea Cristea, 31.

A separate inquest into their deaths found they were unlawfully killed, and that “security shortcomings” in the way Scotland Yard positioned its armed officers may have contributed to PC Palmer’s death.