Westminster knifeman shot dead by police named as Hassan Yahya

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Police around Great Scotland YardImage source, PA Media
Image caption,

No members of the public or police officers were injured in Westminster

A man shot dead by police in Westminster has been named by the watchdog investigating the killing.

Hassan Yahya, 30, was carrying two knives and said to be "acting suspiciously" before he died on Sunday night.

The Independent Office for Police Conduct (IOPC) said he is thought to have run over Hungerford Bridge and into Northumberland Avenue.

Three Tasers were fired before Mr Yahya was shot by City of London police.

The armed officers had been responding to an emergency call, but police have said the incident was not terror-related.

In a statement, the IOPC said its investigators "have obtained accounts from officers on the scene and gathered CCTV and body-worn video footage".

It added: "The investigation is at an early stage and we are still gathering information. The coroner has been informed, a post-mortem examination carried out and we are awaiting the results."

Mr Yahya's next of kin has been informed, the watchdog said.

Following the shooting, investigators said two Ministry of Defence police officers, who were on patrol, were told a man was acting suspiciously near Royal Festival Hall on London's Southbank.

He failed to stop and, after they fired a Taser, they radioed for back-up warning he was carrying knives.

A second Taser was fired by Met Police officers in Northumberland Avenue, and a third Taser was fired before the victim was shot dead by a City of London officer after two armed response vehicles arrived on the scene.

Two knives were recovered from Great Scotland Yard, a road that connects Whitehall and Northumberland Avenue, near Trafalgar Square.

It is mandatory for the IOPC to carry out an independent investigation when the police fatally shoot a member of the public.

Image source, PA Media
Image caption,

The armed officers had been responding to an emergency call

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