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| London Bridge attacker 'had links to Anjem Choudary' – latest updates | London Bridge attacker 'had links to Anjem Choudary' – latest updates |
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| Counter-terror expert says UK playing ‘Russian roulette’ with public as attacker had recently been released from jail | Counter-terror expert says UK playing ‘Russian roulette’ with public as attacker had recently been released from jail |
| The London mayor, Sadiq Khan, is at London Bridge. He said: “Yesterday we saw ordinary people acting in extraordinary ways.” | |
| ITV News has a letter written by the attacker from jail, asking to take part in a deradicalisation course. He wrote: | ITV News has a letter written by the attacker from jail, asking to take part in a deradicalisation course. He wrote: |
| The Met commissioner, Cressida Dick, has been speaking to journalists at the scene. | The Met commissioner, Cressida Dick, has been speaking to journalists at the scene. |
| She said police would be in the area of the attack for some time to come, but that they were doing their best to open roads and that London Bridge station was open. | She said police would be in the area of the attack for some time to come, but that they were doing their best to open roads and that London Bridge station was open. |
| Yesterday we saw “the most extraordinary courage” from members of the public, she said. “It was a terrible thing that people found themselves in that position, but as we saw the worst of human kind, we also saw the very best of human spirit and of London.” | Yesterday we saw “the most extraordinary courage” from members of the public, she said. “It was a terrible thing that people found themselves in that position, but as we saw the worst of human kind, we also saw the very best of human spirit and of London.” |
| She repeated that they believed the attacker was acting alone. | She repeated that they believed the attacker was acting alone. |
| The London Bridge attacker had asked while in prison for help to be deradicalised, his solicitor has said. Vajahat Sharif told the Guardian that Usman Khan had come to see violent extremism as wrong and had accepted his understanding of Islam was deficient. | The London Bridge attacker had asked while in prison for help to be deradicalised, his solicitor has said. Vajahat Sharif told the Guardian that Usman Khan had come to see violent extremism as wrong and had accepted his understanding of Islam was deficient. |
| Sharif told the Guardian: | Sharif told the Guardian: |
| The full story will be up soon. | The full story will be up soon. |
| The man who used a narwhal tusk to apprehend the attacker has been named in media reports as Łukasz, a chef from Poland who worked in Fishmongers’ Hall. | The man who used a narwhal tusk to apprehend the attacker has been named in media reports as Łukasz, a chef from Poland who worked in Fishmongers’ Hall. |
| The prime minister and home secretary have visited the scene of the attack. Boris Johnson and Priti Patel met with Metropolitan police commissioner, Cressida Dick, and City of London police commissioner, Ian Dyson, inside the police cordon shortly after 11.30am. They then accompanied the police chiefs in a walkabout of the area. | The prime minister and home secretary have visited the scene of the attack. Boris Johnson and Priti Patel met with Metropolitan police commissioner, Cressida Dick, and City of London police commissioner, Ian Dyson, inside the police cordon shortly after 11.30am. They then accompanied the police chiefs in a walkabout of the area. |
| The BBC has agreed to allow the prime minister to appear on tomorrow’s Andrew Marr Show, in light of yesterday’s terrorist attack. The broadcaster previously said it would not offer Boris Johnson a slot on Marr unless he agreed to be interviewed by Andrew Neil, as the Labour party leader was earlier this week. Here’s some background. | The BBC has agreed to allow the prime minister to appear on tomorrow’s Andrew Marr Show, in light of yesterday’s terrorist attack. The broadcaster previously said it would not offer Boris Johnson a slot on Marr unless he agreed to be interviewed by Andrew Neil, as the Labour party leader was earlier this week. Here’s some background. |
| Dal Babu, former Met police chief superintendent, has called for an urgent review of the resources available to monitor convicted terrorists. | Dal Babu, former Met police chief superintendent, has called for an urgent review of the resources available to monitor convicted terrorists. |
| Usman Khan was previously convicted of terror offences, including plotting to attack the London Stock Exchange in 2010. He was part of a gang of nine extremists from Stoke-on-Trent, Cardiff and London who were sentenced in February 2012 at Woolwich crown court. You can read the judge’s sentencing remarks here. Here is a key passage: | Usman Khan was previously convicted of terror offences, including plotting to attack the London Stock Exchange in 2010. He was part of a gang of nine extremists from Stoke-on-Trent, Cardiff and London who were sentenced in February 2012 at Woolwich crown court. You can read the judge’s sentencing remarks here. Here is a key passage: |
| In a statement, the Queen has said: | In a statement, the Queen has said: |
| The PA news agency has been speaking to residents living near a flat in Stafford believed to have been occupied by the London Bridge attacker. | The PA news agency has been speaking to residents living near a flat in Stafford believed to have been occupied by the London Bridge attacker. |
| Retired police officer Justin Lightfoot, who lives in a nearby street, said he instantly recognised Usman Khan when a friend showed him a photograph on Saturday morning. | Retired police officer Justin Lightfoot, who lives in a nearby street, said he instantly recognised Usman Khan when a friend showed him a photograph on Saturday morning. |
| He added: | He added: |
| Usman Khan was likely to be considered a low to medium risk, priority-three target for Britain’s intelligence agencies, reports the Guardian’s defence and security editor, Dan Sabbagh. | Usman Khan was likely to be considered a low to medium risk, priority-three target for Britain’s intelligence agencies, reports the Guardian’s defence and security editor, Dan Sabbagh. |
| MI5 characterises the individuals it monitors in four categories, with priority one applying where there is “credible and actionable” intelligence of attack planning. Priority three individuals are those where “further action is needed to determine where a threat exists”. | MI5 characterises the individuals it monitors in four categories, with priority one applying where there is “credible and actionable” intelligence of attack planning. Priority three individuals are those where “further action is needed to determine where a threat exists”. |
| The majority of individuals released from prison after having served time for terror offences are placed in this category, and the reality is they are largely a matter for probation services, because there is not the resources - or necessarily the justification - to keep an intense focus on such people. | The majority of individuals released from prison after having served time for terror offences are placed in this category, and the reality is they are largely a matter for probation services, because there is not the resources - or necessarily the justification - to keep an intense focus on such people. |
| Intelligence investigators will now be focusing on Khan’s phone, email, as well as his home and any other key locations, in order to determine whether he had any associates or connections that spurred him on to the deadly attack. The working hypothesis is that Khan was a lone actor, who decided to act with little pre-planning, but that is far from settled as investigations continue. | Intelligence investigators will now be focusing on Khan’s phone, email, as well as his home and any other key locations, in order to determine whether he had any associates or connections that spurred him on to the deadly attack. The working hypothesis is that Khan was a lone actor, who decided to act with little pre-planning, but that is far from settled as investigations continue. |
| Such lone actors are notoriously difficult for the intelligence agencies to spot - a marked contrast to the more typical plots of a decade ago, where individuals would prepare in advance, seeking direction, perhaps travelling abroad as Khan himself did at the beginning of the decade, making them easier to disrupt. | Such lone actors are notoriously difficult for the intelligence agencies to spot - a marked contrast to the more typical plots of a decade ago, where individuals would prepare in advance, seeking direction, perhaps travelling abroad as Khan himself did at the beginning of the decade, making them easier to disrupt. |
| Some more on that Sky News report that the attacker had links to Anjem Choudary, who co-founded the now banned Al-Muhajiroun group. The broadcaster reports: | Some more on that Sky News report that the attacker had links to Anjem Choudary, who co-founded the now banned Al-Muhajiroun group. The broadcaster reports: |
| A counter-terrorism specialist has described the criminal justice system as playing “Russian roulette” with the public, after it was revealed the London Bridge attacker had been released from jail after being convicted of terror offences.Chris Phillips, a former head of the UK National Counter Terrorism Security Office, told the PA news agency: | A counter-terrorism specialist has described the criminal justice system as playing “Russian roulette” with the public, after it was revealed the London Bridge attacker had been released from jail after being convicted of terror offences.Chris Phillips, a former head of the UK National Counter Terrorism Security Office, told the PA news agency: |
| Sky News is reporting that the attacker was “a student and personal friend” of the radical preacher Anjem Choudary. | Sky News is reporting that the attacker was “a student and personal friend” of the radical preacher Anjem Choudary. |
| Choudary was released from prison last year after serving half of the five-and-a-half-year sentence he received in 2016 for urging support for Isis and pledging allegiance to the terrorist group. | Choudary was released from prison last year after serving half of the five-and-a-half-year sentence he received in 2016 for urging support for Isis and pledging allegiance to the terrorist group. |
| The Metropolitan Police has renewed its call for anybody with information to come forward, particularly anyone who was at Fishmongers’ Hall. | The Metropolitan Police has renewed its call for anybody with information to come forward, particularly anyone who was at Fishmongers’ Hall. |
| The attacker – 28-year-old Usman Khan – attended Fishmongers’ Hall on Friday for a University of Cambridge-organised conference on rehabilitating offenders. | The attacker – 28-year-old Usman Khan – attended Fishmongers’ Hall on Friday for a University of Cambridge-organised conference on rehabilitating offenders. |