Betanzos flies flag at half-mast in tribute to London terror victim Aysha, who had 'many friends and relatives' in Galicia

THE Galicia town of Betanzos is flying its flag at half-mast today (Friday) in an official day of mourning for its descendant Aysha Ahmet Caldelas Frade, 43, who lost her life in the terror attack on Westminster Bridge in London.

A town of just 15,000 inhabitants and over 1,000 kilometres from the UK capital is feeling London's pain as though the massacre happened in its own market square – Aysha's mother was born in Betanzos and the deceased's sisters live and work there.

Aysha, whose dad is from Cyprus and met her mum in London, was born in the metropolis and lived mostly in the centre, spending several years in a flat in Ladbroke Grove, but she has a huge family network in the Betanzos area on her mother's side.

Her sisters, Silvia and Michelle, own and run two language schools teaching English to natives in the province of A Coruña.

Although a Londoner all her life, Aysha felt 'very Spanish', supporting FC Deportivo A Coruña and being a big fan of Enrique Iglesias and Colombian rocker Juanés.

“People were saying on Wednesday evening that someone from Betanzos had been affected by the attack, but nobody wanted to believe it,” admits mayor Ramón García Vázquez.

“From Thursday morning, numerous people in Betanzos started ringing the town hall offering to help, and even some of our council workers started digging out party photos they had with the three sisters.”

Silvia and Michelle live in Sada, the next town to Betanzos, and one of them is married to a local Betanzos man.

Their English language academy, called Notting Hill, is considered one of the best in the province.

“Their mother left years ago, but Aysha came here often, especially during the summer holidays, to spend time with her friends and family – many, many people here knew her well and many, many people are grieving for her now.

Today was the second of a three-day period of official mourning, which will conclude at midday on Sunday, and all council engagements have been postponed.

“Let's hope this doesn't happen again, and that all all us democrats united together are able to eradicate this senseless evil – because regardless of colours, races or political values, a death can never, ever be justified,” García Vázquez concludes.

Aysha is said to have been a much-loved colleague at the Westminster-based private sixth-form centre DLD College London, where some reports say she worked on the administration team and others say she taught Spanish.

She was married to a Portuguese Londoner named John and had two young daughters, whom she was on her way to collect from school when she was mown down by the terrorist's hired car and flung into the path of a bus.

 

The other victims

In the same moment, US holidaymaker Kurt Cochran, 54, touring London with his wife Melissa (both pictured below left) to celebrate their 25^th wedding anniversary, was fatally struck by the grey Hyundai i40 4x4, and badly-injured Mr Leslie Rhodes, 75, a retired window-cleaner from Clapham, died today in hospital.

The fourth fatal victim was PC Keith Palmer, 48, a husband and father who was stabbed outside the

Houses of Parliament split seconds before his colleagues fired four shots at the terrorist, killing him outright.

Romanian architect Andreea Christea, 29, in London with boyfriend Andrei to celebrate his birthday – which he intended to end by proposing to her – was fished out of the river Thames where she fell after being hit by the runaway car.

Alive, but unconscious and critical, she was operated on for a blood clot on her brain and is said to be still in danger but 'moving in the right direction'.

 

Terrorist 'Khalid Masood': Born Adrian Russell Elms, raised by mum Janet and stepdad Philip

The killer, originally identified as 52-year-old Kent-born Khalid Masood, is said to have originally been called Adrian Russell Elms, son of single teenage mum Janet from Erith, with no known Asian or Arab roots in his family tree.

He converted to Islam and changed his name to Khalid Choudry, then to Khalid Masood, although prior to these he had officially changed his name to Adrian Russell Ajao, taking his stepfather Philip's surname.

An economics graduate who started out in sales and then became a manager in a chemical firm in East Sussex, he then studied for a TESOL certificate, and spent some time teaching English to employees of the Civil Aviation Authority in Saudi Arabia before returning to the UK to start his own language school, via a spell as supervisor and senior tutor at one in Luton.

He is said to have married a Muslim, Farzana Malik, in 2004, but the marriage did not apparently last long.

Russe