THE suspected terrorist who crashed his car into a security bollard outside the British Houses of Parliament has appeared in court.

Salih Khater, 29, was driven in a blue police van to London’s Westminster Magistrates Court on Monday morning local time, where judge Emma Arbuthnot, England’s chief magistrate, remanded him in custody following a seven-minute hearing.

The accused appeared in the dock wearing a grey T-shirt and white trousers.

Mr Khater been charged with two counts of attempted murder after he drove his car through a group of cyclists and pedestrians and towards two policemen outside Westminster Palace.

CCTV footage showed the police officers diving out of the way as Mr Khater’s silver Ford Fiesta hatchback hurtled towards them before slamming into the security gate.

He was arrested a short time later by heavily armed police who pulled him from the car at gunpoint.

Mr Khater, a Sudanese-born British citizen who lives in Birmingham, appeared briefly in the dock and spoke only to confirm his name, date of birth, nationality and address.

There was no bail application and he will appear in front of the Old Bailey on August 31.

Prosecutor Samuel Main alleged that Khater “accelerated into a group of cyclists”, then, having driven through them, “veered off the open road, down a chute and towards police officers” guarding the parliament building.

The incident followed a “short but intensive period of reconnaissance”, he alleged.

Main said detectives had made extensive enquiries and had come up with “no evidence” of an accident, mechanical failure, a medical episode or disorder, intention to commit suicide or a crisis in Mr Khater’s personal circumstances.

The prosecutor alleged it was a “deliberately calculated attack”. Mr Main said the choice of location and the attempt to kill police officers suggested “that the defendant intended to make a political statement”.

Prosecutors were therefore treating the case “as terrorism”, Mr Main told Judge Arbuthnot.

The location was close to that of another attack in March last year when Khalid Masood, a 52-year-old Briton, mowed down pedestrians, killing five people before fatally stabbing a police officer.

Metropolitan Police charged Mr Khater on Saturday after holding him in custody since the incident on Tuesday, August 14.

No terrorism-related charges have been laid, however it is still being treated as a terrorist incident.

“Due to the methodology, iconic location and the alleged targeting of civilians and police officers, the CPS (Crown Prosecution Service) are treating this case as terrorism,” the Met said in a statement.