The terrorist who carried out the Westminster attack served time in a Norfolk prison and had a string of criminal convictions.

Norwich Evening News: A crashed car on Bridge Street by the Palace of Westminster, London, after policeman has been stabbed and his apparent attacker shot by officers in a major security incident at the Houses of Parliament. Picture:Kathy Casatelli/PA WireA crashed car on Bridge Street by the Palace of Westminster, London, after policeman has been stabbed and his apparent attacker shot by officers in a major security incident at the Houses of Parliament. Picture:Kathy Casatelli/PA Wire

Khalid Masood was behind bars at Wayland Prison for a period of time after spells at Lewes Prison in East Sussex and Ford open prison in West Sussex.

His criminal career dated back to 1983 and included convictions for assault, GBH and possession of an offensive weapon.

The man, who killed four people in the attack, was born to a single mother as Adrian Russell Ajao, but after a religious conversion years later, also called himself Khalid Choudry.

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Norwich Evening News: HMP Wayland Prison. Picture: IAN BURTHMP Wayland Prison. Picture: IAN BURT (Image: Archant)

Masood masked his life of crime with a CV which claimed he was an experienced English teacher who had worked across the world.

The document lists Masood as a university-educated English teacher with experience working in places such as Saudi Arabia and Luton.

It is understood he never worked as a teacher in any of England's state schools.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VVjGo7rNzUM

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When he died on the cobbles outside Parliament, he reportedly left behind three children and a wife.

The killer most recently appeared to be based in the West Midlands, but also spent time in London, Sussex and Luton.

After his armed onslaught on Wednesday, police searched a three-storey townhouse in the Winson Green area of Birmingham and neighbours said Masood lived there for around seven months until December last year.

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Iwona Romek said she could not believe her eyes when she realised the man who had lived near her was the same person responsible for the attack.

She told the Press Association: 'Now I'm scared that someone like that was living close to me.'

Ms Romek said she had seen him with a child aged between five and six and a partner, but that they had moved away around two to three months ago.

Armed police also raided a flat in another part of the city, storming the second-storey property in Hagley Road overnight.

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Stunned residents described seeing more than a dozen black-clad officers equipped with machine guns smashing their way into the Birmingham flat, believed to be a rental, at about 11pm on Wednesday.

One resident said he recalled two men living there.

He heard one man in the flat speaking on the phone in what he described as an 'Arabic or Pakistani accent', saying he had heard it 'for the last two or three nights'.

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Masood is also thought to have lived in London, with a man of his name registered to an address in a terraced street in West Ham.

A neighbour, who asked not to be named, told the Press Association: 'This guy is a local guy. I've been living in the area for 20 years.

'I don't know him personally but I believe he belongs to a mosque on Leyton High Road.'