LONDON, Feb 3 (NNN-AGENCIES) — The British government promised sweeping changes to the system for dealing with convicted terrorists released from prison, after police shot dead an extremist who stabbed two people in a busy south London street on Sunday.
Police said Sudesh Amman, 20, who was wearing a fake suicide vest, was shot on the busy Streatham High Road packed with shoppers at about 2 pm.
Amman was recently given early release from prison where he was serving time for terror offences.
The incident came just over two months after armed police shot dead a convicted terrorist on early release when he stabbed to death two people attending a prisoner rehabilitation conference near London Bridge in the heart of the British capital.
The government responded to that attack by announcing longer sentences for terrorism offences, an end to early release and an increase in the counter-terrorism police budget in the coming financial year.
Prime Minister Boris Johnson said after the latest incident: “Tomorrow (Monday) we will announce further plans for fundamental changes to the system for dealing with those convicted of terrorism offences.”
Deputy Assistant Commissioner Lucy D’Orsi said in a statement outside New Scotland Yard: “The suspect had been recently released from prison where he had been serving a sentence for Islamist-related offences.”
Amman was jailed in December 2018 for 13 terror offences and was released from prison in recent weeks under “active police surveillance”, media said.
He had been arrested in north London in May 2018 on suspicion of planning a terrorist attack, a month after officers were told of posts he had made on the secure messaging service Telegram.
D’Orsi said one man in his 40s was initially thought to have life-threatening injuries but was now in an improved condition in hospital. A woman in her 50s was treated and discharged. Another woman in her 20s suffered minor injuries.
She is believed to have been wounded by flying glass.
Johnson thanked the emergency services for their response. “My thoughts are with the injured and all those affected,” he said.
London Mayor Sadiq Khan added: “Terrorists seek to divide us and to destroy our way of life – here in London we will never let them succeed.”
Britain downgraded the country’s terrorism threat level from “severe” to “substantial” – warning a terrorist attack is “likely” rather than “highly likely – in early November, its lowest rating in more than five years. — NNN-AGENCIES