Police claim the shot dead knife attacker on the London Bridge to be a convicted terrorist, Usman Khan. 

According to Metropolitan Police, Khan was convicted in 2012 for terrorism offenses and released from jail on license in December 2018.  

The 28-year-old from Staffordshire was sentenced to eight years prison for partaking in a terror group that planned to plant a bomb at the London Stock Exchange. Khan was also accused of building a training camp in Pakistan-controlled Kashmir on land owned by his family. 

Keeping the public’s security in check, Khan and his two co-conspirators were to receive an indeterminate sentence, but with the case heading to Court of Appeal in April 2013, he was sentenced to a determinate 16-year jail period.  

According to Sky News, sources claim that Khan was being monitored with an electronic tag after his release from jail last year. He had links with the Islamist terror groups, which can either be from an Islamic State or al Qaeda.

British Prime Minister, Boris Johnson, has taken notice of this horrendous incident and has called for an end to the early release of violent criminals. 

He said that it is a “mistake to allow serious and violent criminals to come out of prison early and it is very important that we get out of that habit and that we enforce the appropriate sentences for dangerous criminals, especially for terrorists”.

Priti Patel, Home Secretary, refused to talk on this subject and called it to be an “inappropriate” act to confirm any details at this point. She said that people should refrain from speculation and give police “space and time” to complete the investigation.   

“We’re supporting the police through this very difficult investigation,” Patel said. 

On Friday, Khan murdered a man and a woman while injuring three others. It appears that he was wearing a fake suicide jacket when he was shot down by the Metropolitan Police. 

Neil Basu, Met’s assistant commissioner, confirmed the attacker’s identity. 

“We are now in a position to confirm the identity of the suspect as 28-year-old Usman Khan, who had been residing in the Staffordshire area. As a result, officers are, tonight, carrying out searches at an address in Staffordshire.”

“This individual was known to authorities, having been convicted in 2012 for terrorism offenses. He was released from prison in December 2018 on license, and clearly, a key line of inquiry now is to establish how he came to carry out this attack,” Basu explained. 

Basu also confirmed Khan’s death. 

“As I stated earlier, police were called at 1.58 pm to a stabbing at premises near to London Bridge, EC1. Emergency services attended, including officers from the City of London Police and the Metropolitan Police.

“A male suspect was shot by specialist armed officers, and I can confirm that he died at the scene.”

Police believe that Khan attended a conference organized by the University of Cambridge-associated Learning Together at Fishmongers’ Hall earlier that Friday afternoon.

According to the Times newspaper, Khan threatened to blow up the building.

University of Cambridge’s vice-chancellor, Professor Stephen Toope, condemned targeting University’s Institute of Criminology in the attack. 

“We mourn the dead, and we hope for a speedy recovery for the injured. Our thoughts are with all their families and friends,” the professor added.