JHELUM/LONDON: Khurram Shehzad Butt, one of the London attackers, only travelled to Pakistan twice in 23 years of his life, his maternal family revealed.
"He only traveled twice during last 23 years, initially he was not a religious minded guy, he was a normal Muslim but after his marriage in 2013 he turned religious," said Nasir Dar while exclusively talking to Geo News/The News here on Tuesday.
27-year-old Butt a British citizen who was born in Pakistan. Police sources have confirmed that he had no connection with any radical group in Pakistan. Khurram Butt had been radicalised watching YouTube videos of extremists and was known to security agencies.
Talking to Geo News/The News Khurram Shehzad Butt’s uncle said his nephew had become religious after marrying his friend's sister. Nasir Dar said that Khurram’s friend was religious and “had a beard”, while the friend’s mother was British. His friend used to hail from Gujrat a neighbouring district of Jhelum.
Dar said that local security agencies have contacted him for the first time since the London attacks and they asked some questions which he answered. “Loss of innocent lives in the London attacks is extremely saddening,” he said.
Butt had an MBA in business management and lived separately from his parents. He married out of his own will in 2013, his uncle said. “I also attended his wedding.” The London attacks suspect was employed at KFC and London Transport Department, Dar said.
Police had on Monday named two of the three men behind a terror attack in London as Khurram Butt and Rachid Redouane, saying Butt was known to security services but there had been no evidence of "attack planning". A third suspect has also been identified as Italian-Moroccan.
The Met said: "Khurram Shehzad Butt was known to the police and MI5. However, there was no intelligence to suggest that this attack was being planned and the investigation had been prioritised accordingly. The other named man, Rachid Redouane, was not known. Work is underway to understand more about them, their connections and whether they were assisted or supported by anyone else. We cannot say more about them at this stage. "
The three attackers hired the white Renault van used to ram pedestrians on London Bridge, according to police.
An Arsenal fan
Butt was known to his friends as "Abz", and neighbours described him as a doting father-of-two and an Arsenal fan. They said he was friendly and polite, saying that he was known for attending barbeques, playing with local children and giving out sweets in the nearby park. A neighbour told Geo News that he didn’t mix much with the local community and was seen often with his kids and wife.
In 2016, the 27-year-old son of Pakistani immigrants appeared in a documentary on Channel 4 about British extremists, in which he was seen praying in Regent's Park in central London with a group of known extremists.
A former friend said he had contacted the authorities after becoming concerned about Butt's extremist views. Butt had been radicalised watching extremist videos online, he said, adding:
"We spoke about a particular attack that happened and like most radicals, he had a justification for anything and everything, and that day I realised I needed to contact the authorities."