News / Reports

London mayor and PM visit scene of Bridge attack

Sunday, 01 December 2019 2:21 AM [ Last Update: Sunday, 01 December 2019 2:27 AM ]

@AFP

Bianca Rahimi

Press TV, London

At around 2pm on Friday the 29 of December London Bridge and the streets surrounding it were brought to a standstill as horrified onlookers watched passersby wrestle a man to the ground and then a police officer shoot him dead.

28 year old Usman Khan killed two people and injured another three before he was subdued. The day after mayor Sadiq Khan visited the scene of the murder where abandoned vehicles still stood and forensic teams were at work.

Usman Khan was convicted for terrorism offences in 2012 and then released from prison on license in December 2018. He had served only 6 of his 8 year sentence.

As part of his release conditions Khan was obliged to take part in the government's desistance and disengagement programme. The purpose of which is the rehabilitation of people who have been involved in terrorism. In this case at least, it seems the system failed though.

After visiting the scene Prime Minister Boris Johnson said the system of automatic early release is not working. Usama Khan’s solicitor has claimed his client asked for help to deradicalized in prison but none was forthcoming.

He says Khan had accepted his understanding of Islam was deficient and that extremism is wrong and thus seemed to have been rehabilitated but was probably targeted for regrouping after his release.

The attack took place meters away from where 8 people were killed when 3 men went on a rampage in 2017. Scotland Yard says it has foiled 24 other such attacks since then, but the question remains why such attacks happen in the first place.

Press TV’s website can also be accessed at the following alternate addresses:

www.presstv.co.uk