London Bridge Attack: Police Identify Convicted Terrorist Who Murdered Two Victims
TEHRAN (Tasnim) – British Prime Minister Boris Johnson condemned the early release of criminals after it emerged that the man who carried out the latest London Bridge terror attack was a convicted extremist who had been freed from prison on an electronic tag.
Two people were murdered and at least three more seriously injured, when the suspected extremist, wearing a fake suicide vest, went on a rampage at a criminal justice seminar he was attending.
Police named the man as Usman Khan, a 28-year-old from Staffordshire. Neil Basu, the Metropolitan Police's assistant commissioner, said his team were carrying out searches at the suspect's residence but believe that he was acting alone, The Telegraph reported.
Johnson paid tribute to the extraordinary bravery of members of the public and the emergency services who helped tackle the manic, describing them as “the very best of our country”.
But he also said he had "long argued" it was a "mistake to allow serious and violent criminals to come out of prison early”.
He added: “It is very important that we get out of that habit and that we enforce the appropriate sentences for dangerous criminals, especially for terrorists, that I think the public will want to see."
Temporarily suspending his election campaign, Johnson said Britain would never be “cowed, divided or intimidated” by those who brought terror to the streets and he vowed to hunt down and bring to justice anyone else involved.
The incident began just before 2pm on Friday, when the attacker, who had been attending the Learning Together criminal justice conference at Fishmongers’ Hall on London Bridge began stabbing fellow delegates with two large knives.
It is understood the former prisoner, who was still on licence and whose movements and travel were restricted, had been given permission to attend the event along with other convicted criminals.
The killer is thought to have attended the morning session, taking part in various workshops, in which he described his experiences as a prisoner, before launching his deadly attack without warning just before 2pm.
On Friday night it was feared the victims were students and academics who had been at the event.
Despite the fact he was wearing a fake suicide belt and threatening to blow himself up, the attacker was bravely challenged, including by at least one former prisoner, who was also attending the event.
After running out of Fishmongers’ Hall, onto London Bridge, the attacker was dragged to the ground, with passers by also joining into restrain him and prevent more carnage.
Just five minutes after the alarm was first raised, armed officers from the City of London Police arrived on the scene and after pulling members of the public off the man, shot him dead.
Coming just days before the country goes to the polls, Friday's attack bore chilling similarities to the outrage at Borough Market on June 3 2017, five days before that year’s general election.
Then, eight people were murdered by a Daesh (ISIL or ISIS) inspired cell of three attackers in fake suicide vests who drove across London Bridge, ploughing into pedestrians and stabbing people before being shot dead by police.
The murder of Labor MP Jo Cox took place in the run-up to the 2016 EU referendum vote.
On Friday night security sources confirmed that the attacker - who is not thought to be from London - was known to the security services and had terrorist connections as well as a conviction.
An urgent review has been ordered into why he had been released early under licence.
Sources also said there were a number of raids taking place overnight, with the security services and counter terrorism police desperate to establish who the attacker had been associating with.
Conservative and Labor suspended campaigning last night as a mark of respect to the victims but said they would review the matter over the weekend.
Johnson cancelled Saturday's appointments to focus on the response.
Paying tribute to those who had bravely intervened, Sadiq Khan, the Mayor of London, said: “What’s remarkable is the breathtaking heroism of members of the public who literally ran towards danger not knowing what confronted them.”
Dame Cressida Dick, the Met commissioner, said that police had first been called at 1.58pm and officers from the City of London Police had tackled the attacker by 2.03pm, just five minutes later.
Dame Cressida said: "The empty ideology of terror offers nothing but hatred and today I urge everyone to reject that."
