The United Kingdom government wants access to WhatsApp Messages of the Westminster Bridge attacker Khalid Masood. A top British security official revealed on Sunday, March 19, that the attacker used the said app and it is not easy to access his messages because they are encrypted.

After a tragedy happened in Westminster, the Islamic State group claimed responsibility for the attack. According to Associated Press, Masood killed four people and left more than 12 people injured.

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British press had reported that the attacker used the messaging service owned by Facebook. UK Home Secretary Amber Rudd has demanded intelligence agencies be given access to WhatsApp. He said it "completely unacceptable" to allow terrorists benefit from end-to-end encryption, The Herald reported.

Masood was shot dead. As of writing this article, no one has been charged or publicly named in connection with the attack. Rudd appeared on BBC and Sky News urging WhatsApp and other encrypted services to allow intelligence agencies access their platforms.

"We need to make sure that organizations like WhatsApp - and there are plenty of others like that - don't provide a secret place for terrorists to communicate with each other," she said.

BBC home affairs correspondent Danny Shaw revealed that the police announced that Masood had acted alone on the day. However, authorities need to get access to his phone and read his messages to get other details.

Rudd will hold a meeting with representatives of WhatsApp, Facebook, and other technology companies on Thursday, March 29, according to the BBC, where they will discuss how to ensure that security officers get the data they need in the future.