(Newswire.net — November 29, 2019) — A man has stabbed and killed two people to death in what is believed to have been a terrorist attack on London Bridge.
The attack, which happened at 13:58 GMT, has left two people dead and three more wounded. The attacker, a man who has now been named as Usman Khan, was shot dead by the London Police after he was held down by heroic members of the public.
It has now been discovered that Usman Khan had been in jail for previous ‘terrorism’ charges. He had just been released after serving half of his 16 year sentence. He was originally jailed for being part of an al-Qaeda inspired group, which had considered terrorist attacks such as bombing pubs.
One of the conditions of Usman Khan’s release was that he had to wear an electronic tag and take part in a desistance and disengagement program that is aimed at rehabilitating those which have been involved in terrorism.
It has now been revealed that Usman Khan was attending a criminal justice even that was aimed at rehabilitating former prisoners before the attack was taken out.
One of the victims of Khan’s attack has been named this afternoon. Jack Merritt has been named as one of the two people to have lost their lives from Khan’s stabbing. Merritt was a University of Cambridge graduate, and was a course coordinator for the ‘Learning together’ rehabilitation program, which Khan attended. The conference was taking place in the Fishmonger’s hall, a building at the north end of London Bridge.
Mr Merritt’s father, David, said on Twitter that he was a “a beautiful spirit who always took the side of the underdog. Jack spoke so highly of all the people he worked with & he loved his job,” he added.
The Queen has released a statement sending her ‘thoughts and prayers’ to all those who have lost loved ones.
Usman Khan’s house in Stafford is now being thoroughly searched. Assistant Commissioner Neil Basu has also stated that the police are making “extensive enquiries” to ensure no one else is involved.