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London Bridge inquest: Khuram Butt's intent to attack 'identified in 2015' London Bridge inquest: MI5 'unaware' attacker reported to anti-terror hotline
(about 1 hour later)
The ringleader of the 2017 London Bridge attacks was assessed by MI5 in 2015 as having a "strong" intent to carry out an attack as a "lone actor", an inquest has heard. The team investigating one of the 2017 London Bridge attackers was not told he had been reported to an anti-terror hotline, an inquest has heard.
A senior officer - identified only as Witness M - said surveillance of Khuram Butt was carried out but it obtained no evidence he was planning an attack. Khuram Butt's brother-in-law had reported his increasing radicalisation in September 2015.
In the same month MI5 assessed Butt as wanting to stage a terror attack but lacking the ability to do so.
Eight people were killed in the attack he carried out with Rachid Redouane, 30, and Youssef Zaghba, 22.Eight people were killed in the attack he carried out with Rachid Redouane, 30, and Youssef Zaghba, 22.
Forty-eight others were also injured. The men mowed down pedestrians on London Bridge before launching a knife attack in nearby Borough Market, injuring 48 others.
The three men mowed down pedestrians on London Bridge before launching a knife attack in nearby Borough Market.
Police shot and killed the attackers less than 10 minutes after the violence began.Police shot and killed the attackers less than 10 minutes after the violence began.
Xavier Thomas, 45, Christine Archibald, 30, Sara Zelenak, 21, Sebastien Belanger, 36, James McMullan, 32, Kirsty Boden, 28, Alexandre Pigeard, 26, and Ignacio Echeverria, 39, were all killed in the attack. A senior counter-terrorism officer - identified only as Witness M - told an inquest at the Old Bailey in London that it was "very unsatisfactory" his team was not informed about the call.
The counter terrorism officer also told the inquest at the Old Bailey he had not been made aware that Butt had appeared in a Channel 4 programme called The Jihadi Next Door in January 2016. Usman Darr had contacted the hotline as his brother-in-law had distributed anti-Western texts and links to jihadi sites, and had become increasingly extreme in his views.
Witness M said the programme was reviewed by another team. The information was processed but never passed on to the joint MI5 and police investigation of Butt that had been under way since mid-2015.
The court has previously heard how Butt appeared in the program for roughly two minutes but was not identified by name. In the same month that he was reported by his brother-in-law, Butt was assessed by the security service as having a "strong risk" of staging a terror attack on his own, but there was no evidence he was planning one.
In the programme Butt was depicted as a willing participant who "condemned the UK government", particularly over its actions in Iraq and Syria. Police decided not to charge him with possession of extremist material because there was not a strong enough chance of disrupting any potential terror plot, Witness M said.
The inquest also heard Butt had associated with members of the banned terrorist group Al-Muhajiroun, including Siddhartha Dhar, who went on to fight for Islamic State, and the group's leader Anjem Choudary.
Witness M also told the inquest he had not personally been made aware that Butt had appeared in a Channel 4 programme called The Jihadi Next Door in January 2016, saying the programme was reviewed by another team.
The court previously heard how Butt appeared in the programme - where he condemned the UK government, particularly over its actions in Iraq and Syria - for roughly two minutes but was not identified by name.
Later that year Butt was employed by London Underground, including working at Westminster station, but Witness M said he did not have grounds to intervene.
In October 2016, Butt was arrested with three others on suspicion of falsely reporting fraudulent activity on three bank accounts, and bailed until January 2017. However, prosecutors advised there was not enough evidence to charge him.
Last week the lawyer representing several of the victims' families told the court there were "opportunities galore" to identify that the three men were plotting an attack.Last week the lawyer representing several of the victims' families told the court there were "opportunities galore" to identify that the three men were plotting an attack.
Six months after the London Bridge attack, a major review of whether MI5 could have stopped it revealed Butt had been under "active investigation" from mid-2015. Xavier Thomas, 45, Christine Archibald, 30, Sara Zelenak, 21, Sebastien Belanger, 36, James McMullan, 32, Kirsty Boden, 28, Alexandre Pigeard, 26, and Ignacio Echeverria, 39, were all killed in the attack.
The inquests continue.The inquests continue.