BY RAJA FAISAL
- His uncle says he only travelled to Pakistan twice in 23 years
Khurram Shahzad Butt, one of the London attackers of Saturday, was born in Jhelum, Punjab. His father moved to Britain in late 90’s.
Khurram’s father Saif Ullah Butt was a carpenter in Jhelum by profession. He moved to Britain in late 90’s, his old friend mentioned. He added that Saif Ullah was a true gentleman, who used to offer prayers five times a day. He was a religious man but not intolerant.
Khurram Butt’s ancestors were originally from Kashmir but for economic reasons they moved to Jhelum well before the partition of subcontinent.
Saif Ullah was very good in his business dealings. He actively supported Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) in 90’s and had good relationship with Raja Afzal, who was a member of the parliament from Jhelum. He was well known within party ranks. He married in a family of good social stature.
Khurram’s maternal family is relatively lesser religious. Some of his mother’s cousins have served in the armed forces. His maternal uncle Shahid Rasool Dar is a well known political personality of Jhelum. Currently, he is the city president of PMLN and runs a restaurant business. His brother Nasir Dar is also a political figure and owns a popular restaurant cum marriage hall on Grand Trunk Road, Jhelum.
“Security agencies personnel in plain clothes raided Nasir Dar’s house, as well as his marriage hall restaurant, on Sunday night,” a witness to the raid told Pakistan Today.
Khurram rarely visited Pakistan; a family friend told that he came to the country on the last occasion for marriage, which took place in his uncle’s marriage hall. “Khurram seemed very religious as compared to his cousins here,” he added.
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.
Khurram’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.
He only travelled to Pakistan twice in 23 years, Dar revealed.
Dar said that London’s security agencies have contacted him for the first time since the London attacks.
“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 ongoing 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 a private news channel that he didn’t mix much with the local community and was seen often with his kids and wife.
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.”
People of the vicinity, who know the family well, were shocked at the unfortunate event’s connection with the family.
Khurram Butt, 27, was named one of the three London attackers. Butt—who lived in Barking, East London—was an active member of a British extremist group called Al Muhajeroon. He appeared in a 2016 documentary of Channel-4 called “The Jihadis Next Door”. He openly talked in favour of the Islamic State (IS). He was reported twice to police for his extreme views but was let go.
IMAMS REFUSE TO OFFER FUNERAL PRAYERS:
As many as over 130 religious scholars refused to offer funeral prayers for the attackers who wrecked havoc on London Bridge Saturday night.
The Imams not only refused their own services but also urged other fellow imams to do the same as the actions of attackers were against Islam.
“We will not perform the traditional Islamic funeral prayer over the perpetrators, and we also urge fellow imams and religious authorities to withdraw such a privilege. This is because such indefensible actions are completely at odds with the lofty teachings of Islam,” they said.
