Mike Norris, Co-Editor, The American Dossier
London police shot and killed a convicted terrorist after a killing spree that left two dead and three injured, according to police reports.
At 1:58 p.m. on Friday, police received multiple reports of a stabbing, near Bank station and Fishmongers’ Hall.
The attacker, 28-year-old Usman Khan, was an attendee at a conference hosted by Cambridge University’s Institute of Criminology. The event, called ‘Learning Together,’ was designed to help offenders reintegrate into society following their release from jail.
Khan had participated in previous sessions and had been invited to share his experience of prison.
After the morning session, Khan returned to the Hall via the grand staircase and began his rampage by threatening to blow up a suicide vest, according to a member of staff. Khan reportedly ‘lashed out’ in a downstairs room and was heading upstairs when he was tackled by other conference-goers and 'bundled out' of the front door.
Although Khan was armed with two knives and was wearing a suicide vest, dramatic video footage shows six members of the public taking him to the ground, armed only with a fire extinguisher and an ornamental Narwhal tusk.
Witnesses reported that police confronted Khan by 2:03 p.m. After being twice warned to 'stop moving,’ he was shot dead.
Scotland Yard Assistant Commissioner Neil Basu confirmed that a man and a woman were killed in the attack. As well as the two deaths, three others - a man and two women - are being treated in hospital.
On November 30, ISIS claimed responsibility for the attack via its propaganda outlet Amaq. The group stated that the attack was made in response to calls to target countries that have been part of the coalition fighting the terrorist organization.
'The person who carried out the London attack... was a fighter from the Islamic State, and did so in response to calls to target citizens of coalition countries,' ISIS stated.
The group did not provide any evidence to back its claim.
Khan had previously been arrested on December 20, 2010, four days before he and his Al-Qaeda-inspired terror group had planned to bomb the London Stock Exchange.
After the arrest, police found a handwritten list of targets which included the U.S. Embassy and the homes of London Mayor Boris Johnson, the Dean of St Paul's Cathedral and two rabbis. The group also carried out surveillance of other targets including Big Ben, Westminster Abbey, the Palace of Westminster and the London Eye.
Khan's plot was foiled after security services bugged his home.
Secret recordings detailed Khan’s plans to send U.K. radicals to a firearms training camp in Kashmir, where his family had land. The camp was to be disguised as a legitimate madrassa.
Khan said he could only see three results for the group: 'There's victory, what we hope for, there's shahada (death as martyrs), or there's prison.'
Khan was also a student and 'personal friend' of Anjem Choudary. He spent years preaching in stalls that were linked to al-Muhajiroun, a banned terror group founded by Choudary.
In response to London's 7/7 attacks in 2005, al-Muhajiroun was outlawed by the U.K. government, but the group has continued to operate under a number of pseudonyms.
al-Muhajiroun often targeted vulnerable young men. The group radicalized some of Britain's most notorious terrorists, including the leader of the London Bridge terror attack, Khuram Butt.
Choudary was jailed after pledging allegiance to ISIS.
In February 2012, Khan received an indeterminate Imprisonment for Public Protection sentence from Mr Justice Wilkie. The sentence meant that Khan would have remained locked up for as long as necessary, to protect the public.
At the time of Khan’s sentencing, Wilkie stated: 'In my judgment, these offenders would remain, even after a lengthy term of imprisonment, of such a significant risk that the public could not be adequately protected by their being managed on license in the community, subject to conditions, by reference to a preordained release date.'
Later in 2012, Khan wrote a letter to the court, begging for mercy. Khan asked for the court to arrange a course, so that he could 'properly learn Islam and its teachings, and I can prove I don't carry the extreme views which I might have carried before.'
He continued: 'I am much more mature and want to live my life as a good Muslim and also a good citizen of Britain. 'So if you could arrange something for me and send me the details, this would be truly appreciated.'
In April 2013, the Court of Appeals overturned Khan’s sentence and sentenced him to a 16-year jail term instead, with an extended license period of five years.
At the time, the Court of Appeals Judges said that the Parole Board was best placed to decide when Khan would be safe to be released from jail. In response to Khan’s crimes, the Parole Board released a statement saying that Khan was released automatically and they did not make the decision.
Prime Minister Boris Johnson said criminals must be made to serve their sentences.
"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," Johnson said.
After serving as an Airborne Infantryman in the 82nd Airborne Division, Mike attended Florida State University, where he received his Bachelors Degree in Political Science and George Washington University, where he received his Masters in Political Management. Mike is currently attending the University of Detroit Mercy School of Law, where he is pursuing his Juris Doctorate.
Since 2004, Mike has worked in the Florida Senate, where he was one of only two Chief’s of Staff under 30 and in the Michigan Senate, where he served as the Legislative Aide to the Assistant Minority Floor Leader. The 2018 election cycle was Mike’s eighth as a Political Consultant.
Mike previously served as the Secretary and Vice President of the Tampa Bay Young Republicans, Regional Vice Chair for the Florida Federated Young Republicans and attended the 2012 Republican National Convention as an Alternate Delegate. He currently lives in Grosse Pointe Woods, Michigan, with his rescue Pit Bull, Ike.
Comments