Man 'carrying bag of knives' who caused lockdown in Westminster denies planning terror attack

Khalid Mohammed Omar Ali accused of preparing for terrorism acts and committing explosives offences in Afghanistan

Mr Ali was arrested in Whitehall in April (Getty Images)

A man who sparked a security lockdown in Westminster after allegedly being found carrying a “bag of knives” has denied planning a terror attack.

Khalid Mohammed Omar Ali was arrested in Whitehall on 27 April, in an operation that saw armed police cordon off the area near Downing Street and the Houses of Parliament.

The 27-year-old was charged with engaging in conduct in preparation for committing acts of terrorism.

Mr Ali, of Edmonton in north London, was also charged with two counts of “maliciously making or possessing a quantity of explosive substances with intent by means thereof to endanger life”.

The Metropolitan Police said the explosives allegations related to activity during time Mr Ali spent in Afghanistan in 2012.

Mr Ali appeared before Judge Nicholas Hilliard QC at the Old Bailey on Tuesday.

He appeared via video link from Belmarsh prison, wearing grey tracksuit bottoms, a maroon T-shirt and a white hat.

Mr Ali, who is not represented by a lawyer, pleaded not guilty to the preparation of terrorist acts and the explosives charges.

The charge states the alleged offence involved “purchasing knives and travelling to London”.

He was detained by police in Whitehall, where he was allegedly found with three blades in a bag.

The arrest came around a month after Isis supporter Khalid Masood rammed into pedestrians on Westminster Bridge and stabbed a police officer to death outside the Houses of Parliament, in an unrelated attack that left five people dead.

Mr Ali, who faces a three-week trial at the Old Bailey starting on 6 November, was remanded in custody.

He will appear before the same court for a pre-trial hearing on 13 October.

Additional reporting by PA