Officer risked own life in attempt to save terrorist Khalid Masood

A minister’s bodyguard has told how he tried to save Khalid Masood’s life after his colleague shot him as the Westminster terrorist approached them armed with two large kitchen knives.

After killing four people on Westminster Bridge and then knifing Pc Keith Palmer at the gates of Westminster Palace, Masood’s rampage was brought to an end when a close protection officer opened fire.

The officer, identified only as SA74, shot the 52-year-old attacker three times with his Glock pistol when he ignored warnings to drop his weapons.

Both officers are giving evidence at Masood’s inquest in the Old Bailey’s Court One, with the media allowed only to listen to proceedings via video link from another room.

SA74’s colleague, known only as SB73, told jurors how he risked his own safety to handcuff the attacker while he lay dying on the floor.

“At that time he was still breathing. His chest was still rising and falling. He was going grey,” he said.

“He basically stopped breathing so I started CPR – chest compressions.”

Speaking about the start of the incident, he continued: “There was a large crash bang. It sounded like a car crash.

“I started hearing shouting and screaming from the direction of where the crash had been.

“We started moving towards the gates.

“There was obviously something going on – shouting and screaming and panic that was around in the air – so we headed towards the gates to see what was going on.

“There were lots of people running towards us at that stage. My colleague shouted ‘knife’.”

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

SB73 said: “I shouted a verbal warning. I’m not sure what I actually said. I shouted some verbal warning – armed police, stop, drop the knife, something like that.

“I thought he would seriously injure or kill one or both of us.

“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 attacker with a police constable.