London Bridge: Attacker had been convicted of terror offence

  • 2019-11-30 13:50:35
The man who carried out Friday's stabbing attack at London Bridge was a former prisoner convicted of terrorism offences. The attacker, named by police as 28-year-old Usman Khan, was out of prison on licence at the time of the attack, in which a man and a woman were killed and three others were injured. Khan was shot dead by officers after members of the public restrained him. Police declared the attack a terrorist incident. Khan was known to the authorities, having been convicted for terrorism offences in 2012. He was released from prison on licence in December 2018, Met Police Assistant Commissioner Neil Basu said. The Parole Board said it had no involvement in Khan's release, saying he "appears to have been released automatically on licence (as required by law)". The Times reported that Khan's release came after he agreed to wear an electronic tag and have his movements monitored. Prisoner rehabilitation The attack began at 13:58 GMT on Friday at Fishmongers' Hall, at the north end of London Bridge, where a Cambridge University conference on prisoner rehabilitation - called Learning Together - was taking place. The suspect had been attending the event, where dozens of people - including students and former prisoners - were present. Mr Basu said the attack is understood to have started inside the building before continuing onto London Bridge itself, where Khan was shot by armed officers. Officers are carrying out a search believed to be linked to the attack at flats in Stafford, close to the town centre. Mr Basu said police were not actively seeking anyone else in relation to the attack, although they were making "fast time enquiries" to make sure there was no outstanding threat to the public. The Met Police is urging anyone with information - particularly anyone who was at Fishmongers' Hall - to contact them. Two victims A man and a woman were killed during the attack. Three others - a man and two women - were also injured and remain in hospital. Simon Stevens, head of the NHS, said, on Friday, that one was in a critical but stable condition, another was stable and the third had less serious injuries. None of those killed or injured has so far been named and officers were still working to identify those who died, Met Commissioner Cressida Dick said, on Friday.

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