Who was Khalid Masood, the man identified as the UK Parliament attacker

While Masood had a prior criminal record, his neighbours described him as an average Joe

Police have identified the attacker behind Wednesday's terrorist attack outside Britain's Parliament as British-born 52-year-old Khalid Masood. (Read more)

Masood's attack left five people dead, including himself, and 40 others injured after he mowed down pedestrians on a bridge and stabbed a police officer outside the Parliament complex in London's Westminster before being shot dead by Scotland Yard officers. 

A 'nice guy' with a wife and kids

According to The Independent, Masood's birth name was Adrian Elms. The report said that he converted to Islam while serving a prison sentence.

According to the online newspaper, Masood's former neighbours described him as a "nice guy" who had a "normal family". Further, the report said Masood was a bodybuilding enthusiast and is survived by a wife and three young children. 

Masood, the report said, was residing in the Winson Green neighbourhood, in the city of Birmingham, with his family.

Speaking to the online paper, Masood's neighbour Ciaran Molloy said, “He washed his car, mowed his lawn... He was quite friendly, polite in every interaction." Molloy added, “It’s a shock to know he did what he did. It’s a shock to know he lived across the road.”

According to Molloy, Masood would often be spotted wearing “gym clothes" or "a tracksuit". Sometimes, Molloy said, Masood would be seen wearing "Muslim dress". 

Molloy also told the paper that Masood had "two girls, about seven or eight, who you’d see wearing school uniform, and a son of about three".

Known criminal

However, reports and officials statements which emerged after Wednesday's attack reveal another side to Masood's life, one where he had a known and long criminal record. (Read more) 

According to reports, London police said that Masood, who was known by a number of other aliases, had a range of previous convictions for assaults, causing grievous bodily harm and other offences. However, they added that he had not been convicted previously for any terrorism offences.

The official statement from the police also said that there had been no prior intelligence about any intent on Masood's part to perpetrate a terrorist attack. The statement also made it clear that, prior to the attack, Masood has not been the subject of any "current investigations".

According to The Independent's report, during one of his criminal acts, Masood had reportedly stabbed a man in the face. Further, according to reports, his last conviction, in December of 2003, had come for being in possession of a knife. Incidentally, his weapon of choice during Wednesday's attack was also an edged weapon, with which he stabbed a police officer, 48-year-old Keith Palmer. Palmer succumbed to the injuries he sustained.  

Intelligence agencies had looked into Masood in the past 

According to The Guardian, British Prime Minister Theresa May told members of parliament that Masood had been looked into previously by the MI5 — United Kingdom's domestic counter-intelligence and security agency.  

According to the report, May said, "Some years ago, he (Masood) was once investigated in relation to concerns about violent extremism. He was a peripheral figure. The case is historic – he was not part of the current intelligence picture.”