The Sudanese refugee being held on suspicion of terror offences after ploughing his Ford Fiesta into the Houses of Parliament had only received his British passport two weeks ago, it has emerged.

Friends of Salih Khater, who is still being questioned by counter terrorism police, say that he had finally been issued with the document eight years after first claiming asylum in the UK.

It is now being suggested that Khater was planning to use the opportunity to travel home and see family in Sudan for the first time since fleeing.

Friends say he travelled to London on Monday night in order to attend the Sudanese embassy the next day to obtain a visa to return home.

They now fear he panicked and lost control of his silver Ford Fiesta after seeing an ambulance with blue flashing lights behind him in Parliament Square.

In the wake of his arrest armed police have been deployed to two Birmingham mosques which were attacked with catapults.