Westminster terrorist attack survivor accused of "faking his injuries" by trolls

A terrorist attack survivor has been accused of "faking his injuries" and was sent "death threats" by online trolls.

Travis Frain opened up about the abuse he received after he was struck down in a car driven by Khalid Masood during the Westminster terror attack on March 22, 2017.

Masood, 52, killed five people and injured 50 more when he mowed down crowds on the Westminster bridge before going on a stabbing frenzy.

Travis, 24, from Darwen, Lancashire was a university student on a trip to London when he was hit head on by Masood's car, breaking his leg badly.

But when footage of him walking away from the scene emerged online afterwards, Travis, then 19, was accused of faking his injuries.

Travis with Prince Charles, in hospital in the days after the attack (PA)

Speaking to the BBC ahead of the fifth anniversary of the atrocity, he said: "You've received quite bad injuries, you're immobile.

"Then to be receiving threatening messages like that is incredibly disconcerting. It's a really bizarre situation."

Travis, who was an Edge Hill University undergraduate also suffered shrapnel wound and broken fingers, but managed to pick himself up and hobble away before being taken to hospital.

"It could have been the adrenaline, could have been the shock," he said.

Travis is now trying to support other victims and terror attack survivors (PA)

"All I know is bizarrely I was up and walking after I was hit by the car. That's something that even today I don't have an explanation for."

This week marked five years since the attack, which saw Masood stab PC Keith Palmer to death before officers shot the terrorist dead.

But despite the time elapsed, the abuse Travis received has persisted, with the last message sent in November.

He explained the messages flare up whenever he speaks publicly about the attack.

Brave Travis also completed the Manchester marathon to commemorate those who lost their lives in the attack (UGCTMY)

"I think a lot of the people who are sending these messages might already be off the deep end so to speak," he said.

"But I'd just say to them 'get in touch' and I'd say 'let's have a conversation about it'."

Now the PhD student has learned to manage his trauma by teaching himself about the complex causes of terrorism.

He has also set up the Resilience in Unity Project, a counter-radicalisation platform for terrorist attack survivors.