New Zealand attacker radicalised by neighbours, mother says

September 8, 2021 Article

The mother of an extremist inspired by so-called Islamic State who stabbed shoppers in a New Zealand supermarket said her son was radicalised by neighbours from Syria and Iraq who helped him recover from an injury.

The attacker, Ahamed Aathil Samsudeen, was a 32-year-old Tamil Muslim from Sri Lanka.

He arrived in New Zealand 10 years ago on a student visa, and applied for refugee status on the basis of being persecuted in his home country.

Samsudeen was shot and killed by police, who said five people were stabbed and two injured in last week’s attack.

His mother, Mohamedismail Fareetha, said his descent into extremism began after he fell several storeys from a building in 2016 while at university.

“Because he did not have anyone there, it was people from Syria and Iraq who helped him.

“It looks like they brainwashed him. Then he started posting on Facebook,” she said in a phone interview on Saturday with a local TV station from her home in eastern Sri Lanka.

“He changed only after going abroad,” she added.

Police first noticed Samsudeen’s online support for terrorism in 2016, and the following year he was arrested at Auckland Airport.

He was heading for Syria, authorities say, and was later released on bail.

“After being arrested in 2017 he talked less with us, it was about once every three months,” his mother said, adding that two of her other sons “were angry with him and scolded him”.

In a statement Saturday, her son Aroos said his brother “would hang up the phone on us when we told him to forget about all the issues he was obsessed with.

“Then he would call us back again himself when he realised he was wrong. Aathil was wrong again yesterday. Of course we feel very sad he could not be saved.”

In 2018, Samsudeen was jailed for three years after he was found with IS videos and knives, and the following year his refugee status was cancelled after authorities found evidence of fraud.

Immigration authorities tried to argue he should remain behind bars, but in July, Samsudeen was released.

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Categories: Act of terrorism, Ahamed Aathil Samsudeen, New Zealand, News, radicalised, Stabbing attack, Tamil Muslim

‘Radical Islam’ still a first-order security threat, says Blair

September 7, 2021 Article

“Radical Islam” continues to represent a “first-order security threat” 20 years after the 9/11 terror attacks on the United States, Tony Blair has warned.

The former prime minister urged leaders from around the world to come together to develop a common strategy to counter the menace to their societies.

In a speech to the Royal United Services Institute military think tank, he said there was a danger extremist terror groups could develop biological weapons.

“Covid-19 has taught us about deadly pathogens,” he said.

“Bio-terror possibilities may seem like the realm of science fiction; but we would be wise now to prepare for their potential use by non-state actors.”

Mr Blair, who first committed British troops to Afghanistan in 2001, said that it was clear “Radical Islam” had not declined as a force in that time.

He said its ideology, turning religion into political doctrine backed if necessary by armed struggle, inevitably brought it into conflict with open, modern culturally tolerant societies.

Likening it to revolutionary communism in the 20th century, he said that it remained the principal cause of destabilisation across the Middle East and Africa.

“In my view, Islamism, both the ideology and the violence, is a first order security threat; and, unchecked, it will come to us, even if centred far from us, as 9/11 demonstrated,” he said.

“Like revolutionary communism, it operates in many different arenas and dimensions; and like it, its defeat will come ultimately through confronting both the violence and the ideology, by a combination of hard and soft power.”

He said while initial efforts to counter the threat would inevitably centre on Western nations, it was important to bring in Russia and China as well Muslim countries which opposed the extremists.

Mr Blair said it represented a particular challenge to European nations given that it was now clear following the withdrawal from Afghanistan that the US had “a very limited appetite for military engagement”.

He said: “Europe is already facing the fallout from Libya, Syria and elsewhere in the Middle East.

“And for these purposes Britain is part of Europe, like it or not.”

Mr Blair said that a strategy based on responding to direct terrorist attacks through drone strikes and special forces had “limitations”.

While he said there would always be a need for “boots on the ground”, Western nations had become “deeply adverse” to casualties among their own armed forces.

“This is not a problem of the armed forces themselves, who are brave and extraordinary people.

“But it is now an overwhelming political constraint to any commitment to Western boots on the ground, except for special forces,” he said.

“Yet the problem this gives rise to, is obvious: if the enemy we’re fighting knows that the more casualties they inflict, the more our political will erodes, then the incentive structure is plain.”

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Categories: 9/11, Islamism, News, Radical Islam, Security threat, Tony Blair

Extremist views widespread in England’s classrooms, say teachers

September 6, 2021 Article

Extreme views like racism, homophobia and conspiracy theories are widespread in classrooms across England, a study suggests.

Schools lack the resources and training to teach pupils how to discuss or reject dangerous views, according to academics from the University College London (UCL) Institute of Education.

Their report, published days before the 20th anniversary of the 9/11 terror attacks in the United States, suggests schools’ efforts to build resilience to extremism in young people are “highly varied” due to limited space in the curriculum – and in some cases their approach to the issue is “tokenistic”.

Researchers, who spoke to 96 teachers in English schools as part of the study commissioned by education charity Since 9/11, found that staff are concerned about the increase in pupils looking at hateful online content online.

The findings come after the boss of MI5 revealed that agents are investigating teenagers as young as 13 linked to extreme right-wing terrorism.

In July, director-general Ken McCallum said the presence of teenagers is a “rising trend in MI5’s counter-terrorist case work” and is becoming more so in extreme right-wing investigations.

The majority of teachers spoken to by the researchers said they have heard pupils express far-right extremist views in their classroom, as well as “extremist views about women” or Islamophobia.

Nearly nine in 10 teachers have heard conspiracy theories being discussed by students – including the theory that American business magnate Bill Gates “controls people via microchips in Covid vaccines”.

Teachers raised concerns about pupils’ exposure to extremist views online, often claiming that this has been “exacerbated by the pandemic and lockdowns” – and the report suggests that conspiracy theories and online disinformation “is an emerging area that needs consideration”.

The study also found that many teachers do not talk about issues related to extremism in the classroom out of fear that they will get it wrong, “especially on matters related to race”.

Researchers carried out in-depth interviews with English and Religious Education teachers and safeguarding leads in schools, as well as a survey of teachers, and assessed a literature review of research examining how schools build resilience to extremism in students in England as part of the study.

Almost all the teachers surveyed had encountered “hateful extremism” in the form of racist views in the classroom, according to the report.

Dr Becky Taylor, from the UCL Centre for Teachers and Teaching Research, said: “This report shows that some schools fail to move beyond surface-level explorations of violence, extremism and radicalisation; however, it is without doubt that schools can play an important role.”

She added: “Education policies must consider the fact that some schools may need more help than others to build on what they already have in place.

“Engaging well with their local communities and ensuring that schools and teachers are supported and appropriately resourced can help young people to problematise ‘hateful extremism’.”

The study calls for teachers to be given better training to lead open discussions in the classroom about extremism so they can teach pupils how to reject, and respond to, dangerous ideologies.

The report concludes: “Much anti-extremism work is well-meaning but is stymied by overcrowded curricula, a lack of resources, a desire to perform policy for Ofsted, and a mandate to detect and report vulnerability to radicalisation rather than necessarily stamp out its root causes.”

Kamal Hanif, a trustee of Since 9/11 and executive principal of Waverley Education Foundation in Birmingham, called the research “a wake-up call”.

He said: “We urgently need to equip schools with the tools to teach pupils how to reject extremist views. Dangerous ideologies must never be swept under the carpet.

Mr Hanif added: “The findings of this study are particularly pertinent as we approach the 20th anniversary of 9/11. Children in school today were not yet born when the attacks took place.

“Indeed, many of their teachers were themselves only children at the time. It’s vital that we all learn about the attacks themselves and their ongoing impact.”

Geoff Barton, general secretary of the Association of School and College Leaders (ASCL), said: “Schools have an important role to play in educating young people about the false premises and dangers posed by extremist ideologies, but they cannot do this alone and more support is needed.

“The reality is that schools have to juggle multiple demands on their time in the context of packed timetables and severe funding constraints, all at a time when our society has undergone a digital revolution which allows people to spread hateful views at the click of a button.”

A Department for Education spokesperson said: “As this report shows, schools and teachers are generally confident teaching about issues related to extremism.

“The new Relationships, Sex and Health Education curriculum requires secondary age pupils to be aware of laws relating to terrorism and hate crime, and the Educate Against Hate website features over 150 free resources to help pupils, teachers and parents tackle radicalisation in all its forms.

“We continue to look at what further support we can provide to schools, and will shortly launch further resources specifically focused on harmful online content.”

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Categories: Antisemitism, Extremist views, far right extremism, homophobia, MI5, News, schools

British IS ‘Beatles’ terrorist facing life behind bars after guilty pleas

September 3, 2021 Article

A British terrorist who conspired to abduct and behead Western hostages for the so-called Islamic State is facing spending the rest of his life behind bars after pleading guilty to multiple charges in a US federal court.

Alexanda Amon Kotey, 37, was one of the gang of four IS militants nicknamed “the Beatles” by their captives due to their British accents.

The cell – said to be made up of ringleader Mohammed Emwazi, known as Jihadi John, Aine Davis, El Shafee Elsheikh and Kotey – was allegedly responsible for the brutal killings of a number of Western and Japanese captives, including Britons Alan Henning and David Haines.

The slayings sparked outrage and revulsion around the world after being broadcast in graphic detail.

Kotey, who grew up in London, attended a two-hour change of plea hearing at US District Court in Alexandria, Virginia, on Thursday and pleaded guilty to eight charges.

They were four counts of hostage taking resulting in death, conspiracy to commit hostage taking resulting in death, conspiracy to murder United States citizens outside of the United States, conspiracy to provide material support to terrorists – hostage taking and murder – resulting in death and conspiracy to provide material support to a designated foreign terrorist organisation resulting in death.

Kotey has agreed to fully co-operate with authorities as part of his plea agreement, the court was told.

Diane Foley, mother of slain US hostage James Foley, said it was “chilling” being in court with Kotey, and urged the Briton to give up information about the Beatles’ atrocities.

She told the Today programme on BBC Radio 4: “I didn’t get any indication he’s interested in (making amends) but I hope in time he might, just because the extent of the evil he has committed is – I just don’t know how any soul could live with all that.

“All of us would like to know where the remains of our children are.”

Kotey addressed the court to outline his involvement in the atrocities. He was repeatedly interrupted by District Judge TS Ellis who told him his statement was more suitable for the sentencing hearing.

In a prepared summary, he said he left the UK for Syria in August 2012 alongside Emwazi.

He said he left in order to “engage in the military fight against the Syrian army forces of president Bashar Assad”.

Kotey said when he departed the UK he held “the belief and understanding that the Islamic concept of armed jihad was a valid and legitimate cause and means by which a Muslim defends his fellow Muslim against injustice”.

He admitted his role in capturing hostages and said when his involvement in that came to an end, he worked in IS’s recruitment division, as a sniper and in the terror group’s “English media department”.

Kotey said while working for IS he came into contact with Mr Henning, Mr Haines and John Cantlie, a British war correspondent who disappeared in 2012 and who remains missing.

He told the court: “Upon the orders of the Islamic State senior leadership, I, along with others, opened up channels of negotiation with the authorities, families and representatives of those captured and held by the Islamic State.

“This involved me visiting the detention facilities where the foreign captives were being held and interacting with them in every capacity that would further the prospects of our negotiation demands being met.”

Kotey said his job would be to “extract” contact details for loved ones of those taken hostage.

The terrorists would then demand the release of Islamic prisoners held by the West or large sums of money in return for the hostages’ freedom.

Kotey said: “I had no doubt that any failure of those foreign governments to comply with our demands would ultimately result in the indefinite detention of those foreign captives or their executions. ”

He said he was not physically present at any of the killings of the Western captives.

Kotey was captured alongside Elsheikh in Syria in 2018 by the US-supported Syrian Democratic Forces while trying to escape to Turkey.

Details of Kotey’s plea agreement were read out in court, revealing the Briton has agreed to fully co-operate with the US government.

He will provide “full, complete and truthful” evidence to not only the US but all foreign governments.

Kotey will provide all relevant documents, meet with victims’ families if they wish to do so and voluntarily submit to a lie detector test.

However, the terrorist will not be compelled to give evidence in court against co-defendant Elsheikh, the hearing was told.

As part of the plea agreement, Kotey could be transferred to the UK after spending 15 years behind bars in the US in order to face justice in the country of his birth.

The court was told Kotey would plead guilty in the UK and would likely be handed a life sentence for the deaths of hostages including Mr Henning and Mr Haines.

However, if he is not given a life term, Kotey will complete his life sentence handed down in the US, either in America or in the UK.

Prosecutor Dennis Fitzpatrick, of the United States Attorney’s Office read out the evidence against Kotey, outlining his role in the atrocities, including subjecting the hostages to brutal treatment.

They were terrorised with mock executions, shocks with tasers, physical restraints and other brutal acts.

Kotey and Elsheikh were brought to the US last year to face charges on the condition they would not be given a death sentence.

While Kotey has now pleaded guilty, there was no update on Elsheikh, who is scheduled to stand trial in January.

Emwazi was killed by a US drone strike in 2015 while Davis is serving a sentence in a Turkish jail.

Former aircraft engineer and humanitarian Mr Haines, 44, from Perth in Scotland, was beheaded in Syria in 2014 after being held prisoner for 18 months.

Cab driver-turned-aid worker Mr Henning, 47, from Lancashire, was also beheaded in 2014 after being captured by extremists in Syria.

Kotey was also charged in relation to the killings of four American hostages – journalists Mr Foley and Steven Sotloff and aid workers Peter Kassig and Kayla Mueller.

Family members of the American victims were in court to hear details of the charges and watch Kotey plead guilty.

Kotey and Elsheikh had taken part in and been arrested during a demonstration outside the US embassy in London in 2011 in support of the 9/11 attacks.

They travelled to Syria the following year.

Kotey will be sentenced on March 4 next year.

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Categories: Aine Davis, Alexander Kotey, Beatles, David Haines, El Shafee Elsheikh, Islamic State, Jihadi John, Mohammed Emwazi, News

Neo-Nazi student to be sentenced for terrorism and hate offences

July 21, 2021 Article

A neo-Nazi student who carved a swastika into his girlfriend’s buttock is to be sentenced for his leading role in an extreme right-wing group.

Andrew Dymock, 24, the middle-class son of academics, told jurors “Thank you for killing me” after he was found guilty in June of 15 charges, including 12 terrorism-related offences.

He will be sentenced by Judge Mark Dennis QC at the Old Bailey on Wednesday.

The court heard that Dymock promoted the now-banned System Resistance Network (SRN) group, which aimed to “stir up a race war”, through a Twitter account and a website.

He used online platforms to raise money for the organisation, which “preached zero-tolerance” to non-whites, Jewish and Muslim communities and described homosexuality as a “disease”.

Dymock, who at the time was studying politics at Aberystwyth University in Wales, denied being behind the accounts, claiming he was set up by an ex-girlfriend, who had failed to recruit him to join banned terrorist group National Action (NA).

Police found a picture on one of Dymock’s devices showing a swastika cut into the woman’s buttock and he told detectives in a January 2019 interview he had used his nail to scratch the symbol.

Dymock’s computer revealed longstanding extremist views dating back to when he was 17, including a Google translation of the words “Kill all of the Jews”.

The court heard that SRN was one of a small number of groups which filled a “dubious gap” left following the proscription of far-right group National Action and was itself banned in 2020.

On October 8 2017, Dymock wrote about the creation of SRN on a right-wing webpage, stating that the group was “focused on building a group of loyal men, true to the cause of National Socialism and establishing the Fascist state through revolution”.

Dymock was expelled from the SRN in late February 2018, four months before he was arrested at Gatwick Airport as he tried to board a flight to America.

Police found in his luggage extreme right-wing literature including Siege, an anthology of pro-Nazi essays written by James Mason, and Mein Kampf, along with clothing bearing neo-Nazi logos.

He also had books, flags, clothes and badges associated with the extreme right-wing in his bedroom at home and university.

Dymock claimed material linking him to content on the SRN website and Twitter account was “planted in his possession without his knowledge”.

He denied being a neo-Nazi and told police: “In fact, I am bisexual but lean towards being homosexual, in direct conflict with Nazism.”

He went on to tell jurors that he had Adolf Hitler’s autobiographical manifesto – along with books on Satanism – for “research” on right-wing populism.

The jury found Dymock guilty of five charges of encouraging terrorism, two of fundraising for terrorism, four counts of disseminating terrorist publications, possessing a terrorist document, stirring up racial hatred and hatred based on sexual orientation, and possessing racially inflammatory material.

Dymock had been supported throughout his trial by his parents, Stella and Dr David Dymock, a professor of dentistry at Bristol University, with whom he lived with in Bath, Somerset.

In previous email chat, Dr Dymock had sought to distance himself from his son’s views, telling him not to send “any of your political stuff to my work email account because I work in a multicultural institution, am proud to do so, and believe in the values of that institution.

“I would hate anyone who might see my emails to think that I sympathised with fascist views in any way.”

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Categories: Andrew Dymock, Far Right groups, Neo-Nazi student, News, terrorism

Radical preacher Anjem Choudary’s public speaking ban lifted

July 17, 2021 Article

A ban on radical preacher Anjem Choudary speaking in public is being lifted as licence conditions which were imposed after his release from prison come to an end.

The extremist was jailed five years ago after being convicted of inviting support for the Islamic State terror group, and he left Belmarsh high-security jail on licence in 2018.

Choudary, from Ilford in east London, was freed automatically half-way through a five-and-a-half year sentence.

A string of more than 20 strict licence conditions which Choudary has been subject to since his release will expire on Sunday, the PA news agency understands.

As well as being prohibited from speaking in public, his internet and mobile phone use was restricted and he was banned from being in contact with people who may be suspected of extremist-related offences without prior approval.

He had to wear an electronic tag and abide by a night-time curfew, only attend pre-approved mosques and stay within a set area, as well as adhere to other standard requirements, like having regular meetings with probation officers.

Police and MI5 were thought to be among a host of bodies involved in monitoring him under the system known as multi-agency public protection arrangements (Mappa).

Separate measures saw his name added to a UN sanctions list, which meant he was banned from travelling and had assets frozen.

Once a leading figure in the now-banned group al-Muhajiroun (ALM), the former solicitor had previously stayed on the right side of the law for years – despite being seen as a radicalising influence.

From the 1990s, the father-of-five was a prominent figure in ALM, which also operated under a number of other names.

Over 20 years he voiced controversial views on Sharia law while building up a following of thousands through social media, demonstrations and lectures around the world.

While there has been no suggestion Choudary organised any attacks, others previously linked to ALM include Michael Adebolajo, one of the murderers of Fusilier Lee Rigby, and Khuram Butt, the ringleader of the London Bridge terror attack.

During his teenage years the Fishmongers’ Hall attacker Usman Khan also took an interest in Choudary’s views.

Muslim convert Lewis Ludlow, who plotted a terror attack on Oxford Street, attended a demonstration led by Choudary and the ALM group.

But former head of counter-terror policing Mark Rowley previously said Choudary was not “some sort of evil genius”, dismissing him as a “pathetic groomer” during an interview with BBC Radio 4’s Today programme.

“I think we have to be careful not to overstate his significance,” he added.

Whether counter-terror police and MI5 will continue to track Choudary or consider him a person of interest has not been confirmed. But ALM is expected to remain of considerable interest.

Other measures available to security services and police which could be considered in such instances are Tpims (Terrorism Prevention and Investigation Measures). They are seen as the strictest monitoring tool available to use against people suspected to be involved in terrorism or who present a threat, but cannot be prosecuted or deported.

A Tpim notice – which can be in place for up to two years – can involve conditions like an enforced curfew, tagging, having to stay away from certain locations and restrictions on overseas travel.

A senior security source told PA: “Disruptive measures – including jail terms and licence conditions – have had a substantial impact on the ability of ALM to propagate their toxic ideology.

“While the group cynically preys on vulnerable individuals, its spokespeople have hidden behind their cult-like status while encouraging others to commit acts of violence. The group breeds on propaganda, and should be starved of the oxygen of publicity it relies on to spread hatred.”

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Categories: Al Muhaijroun, ALM, Anjem Choudary, News, Terrorist Prevention & Investigation Measures, TPIM, Usman Khan

Police facing ‘toxic mix’ of mental health issues and online extremism

July 7, 2021 Article

Counter-terrorism police are facing “a toxic mix” of mental health issues and online radicalisation as the country comes out of lockdown, a senior officer has warned.

Commander Richard Smith, head of the Metropolitan Police Counter-Terrorism Command, said young people in particular had been left at greater risk of online radicalisation during lockdown.

Giving evidence to the London Assembly Police and Crime Committee, he said: “One of the impacts of the pandemic has been to leave young people at greater risk of radicalisation and vulnerable people at greater risk of radicalisation online.

“It’s only as we unlock and activity then rises that we will see what that has meant for them as we get more referrals into (anti-radicalisation scheme) Prevent.

“That goes alongside what is now becoming better documented in terms of the impact of the pandemic and lockdown on people’s mental health generally.

“I’m not saying that mental illness and terrorist ideology are corroborated necessarily one way or the other, but they’re certainly not mutually exclusive.

“There’s a real toxic mix that we may see as we come out of the pandemic in terms of the numbers of people who have been at risk of radicalisation.

“I am therefore very keen to see the number of referrals into Prevent increase so that we can engage with those people and direct them onto more productive pathways.”

This week UK counter-terrorism police have teamed up with Netmums to provide advice to parents on how to spot the signs of radicalisation and where to get help.

Law enforcement are growing increasingly concerned about the number of under-18s being groomed by extremists, particularly on the far right.

In the year to March 2021, 13% of suspects arrested for terrorism offences were aged under 18, compared to 5% the previous year. Children were also the only age group to show an increase in this period.

Of the 21 children arrested up to March 2021, 15, or 71%, were linked to extreme right-wing beliefs, and the proportion has been growing since 2015.

In that year, less than 20% of under-24s were held for far right beliefs, rising to 60% in 2020.

Commander Smith said that while the number of arrests for suspected terrorist offences had dropped during the coronavirus lockdowns, this was due to a reduction in opportunities to commit crimes rather than a reduction in threat.

The terror threat for the UK has been substantial since February, and he said it remains at that level.

He told the committee: “In terms of the threat itself I have seen no reduction. Certainly as we come out of lockdown there is a sense that the tempo of activity has risen.

“We are now seeing the tempo of activity rising and therefore the tempo of our activity countering it rising commensurately.”

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Categories: Corona Virus, Mental Health, News, online extremism

Islamist extremist motive considered by investigators probing Germany attack

June 30, 2021 Article

German investigators said that an Islamist extremist motivation for last week’s fatal knife attack in Wuerzburg appears likely, but they have not so far found any propaganda or other extremist material.

They also plan more checks on the suspect’s mental health.

Friday’s assault in and outside a store in the centre of the Bavarian city left three women dead and another six people seriously injured.

The suspect, a 24-year-old Somali man, was shot in the leg by police and arrested after people surrounded him and tried to hold him at bay with chairs and sticks.

Officials have said they believe the suspect was a lone assailant.

He was sent to jail on Saturday pending a possible indictment.

Bavarian extremism and terrorism investigators took over the case on Saturday because an Islamist background appears likely, Munich prosecutors and Bavaria’s state criminal police office said in a statement.

They said that is supported by witnesses’ account that he twice shouted “Allahu akbar”, the Arabic phrase for “God is great”, and also referred to “jihad” after his arrest.

Investigators are still evaluating objects that were seized at his accommodation, including two mobile phones, but have not yet found signs of propaganda or extremist material, they added.

They also plan to order a psychiatric evaluation of the suspect to determine whether he can be held criminally responsible for his actions and whether he needs to be sent to a psychiatric hospital or rehabilitation clinic.

Prosecutors have said there were two incidents earlier this year that resulted in him being sent briefly to a psychiatric hospital.

Read more: Woman, 18, arrested in France over plot to target church

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Categories: Bavaria, Islamist extremist, News, terrorist attack, Wuerzberg

Timeline: Usman Khan’s path to murder

June 7, 2021 Article

Usman Khan’s path to his death on London Bridge at the hands of police marksmen followed a long history of involvement in extremism.

He killed his two victims at Fishmongers’ Hall at an event which had been intended to celebrate prisoners who had taken steps on the path to reform.

Here is a timeline of his life which ended after his fatal journey to London.

– March 10 1991: Usman Khan is born in Stoke-on-Trent.

– 2008 Khan begins preaching on behalf of terrorist organisation al-Muhajiroun in his home town, and distributing extremist leaflets. The house where he is staying is raided by police, but no action follows.

– 2010: Aged 19, Khan is convicted of terrorism offences for his role trying to set up an extremist training camp in Pakistan and spends the next eight years in jail.

– January 2011: While behind bars, Khan suggests he has access to a weapon and would “do someone in the eye or neck” and wants to die and go to paradise.

– March 2011: Khan and others are involved in an attack on another prisoner to shouts of “Allahu Akbar”.

– November 2011: He shouts during the two-minute silence for Armistice Day.

– June 2012: Khan recites a poem which includes the line “cut off the kuffar’s (non-believer’s) head”.

– May 2013: A stockpile of chemicals is found in Khan’s cell which would not have been capable of making a bomb but is still considered “very concerning” by prison staff.

– November 2013: A Church of England chaplain is injured during an assault by Khan on another prisoner. On the same day, a razor blade is found in Khan’s cell.

– March 2017: Now at HMP Whitemoor, Khan talks about his Muslim faith with Michael Adebowale, who murdered Fusilier Lee Rigby.

– June 2017: Khan is considered to be an “influential” terrorist prisoner involved in “extremist bullying”.

– August 2017: He is reported as laughing or cheering about the Barcelona terror attack.

– November 2017: He applies for his first course with Learning Together, studying creative writing. He goes on to complete a series of courses with the scheme at HMP Whitemoor.

– April 2018: A psychologist’s report finds that Khan is polite to staff, well involved in his education and in one incident stopped other prisoners getting involved when two other inmates were fighting.

– June 2018: While Khan’s behaviour has apparently begun to improve, a prison report warns: “He may be behaving in a deceptively compliant manner in order to facilitate his release.”

– October 2018: Intelligence on Khan suggests he will “return to his old ways”, interpreted as meaning terrorism. However, he has also engaged positively with the Learning Together scheme.

– December 2018: Khan is released from jail on various licence conditions and lives in Stafford. He is visited regularly by probation staff and the police, who are not told of intelligence concerns that he may be faking compliance.

– March 2019: Khan maintains contact with Learning Together and is involved with filming a video for the organisation.

– June 2019: He attends a Learning Together event at one of his former prisons, HMP Whitemoor.

– August 2019: Khan is discussed at a Multi-Agency Public Protection Arrangements (Mappa) meeting of probation, police and security officials. A decision is apparently made that Khan can travel to London for the Learning Together anniversary event at Fishmongers’ Hall in November, but there is no written record made of what is said.

– October 2019: Khan moves to his own flat and spends hours in the darkened apartment playing video games and watching DVDs. He has trouble getting employment.

– November 19: At another Mappa meeting Khan’s trip to London is discussed only in terms of logistics, not the risk Khan poses. MI5 said the trip would have provided useful information on whether they could close their file on him, but failed to provide surveillance as intended.

– November 28: Khan gets his hair and beard trimmed in preparation for the attack, and at Stafford market buys the knives he will use to kill Jack Merritt and Saskia Jones.

– November 29: Khan murders the two Cambridge graduates and injures three others at Fishmongers’ Hall, before he is shot dead by police on London Bridge.

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Categories: Fishmongers' Hall, London Bridge, News, Timeline, Usman Khan

Fishmongers’ Hall attacker had ‘hate in eyes’ and ‘evil intent’, inquest told

May 7, 2021 Article

Convicted terrorist Usman Khan exposed “hate in his eyes” and “evil intent” before he launched an attack on Fishmongers’ Hall, an inquest has heard.

On November 29 2019, Khan, from Stafford, was shot dead after fatally stabbing Cambridge graduates Jack Merritt, 25, and Saskia Jones, 23, at a prisoners’ educational event in London.

Six months before, his volatile anger surfaced during an incident witnessed by a mentor, an inquest was told on Friday.

Giving evidence, the mentor told how Khan had become angry about licence conditions, having been released from jail in December 2018.

On March 4 2019, the mentor wrote: “He was quite angry about the licence conditions but he suddenly realised that he got angry and calmed down and stated today was a good session so as not to show his anger to me.”

In a later witness statement, the mentor, who cannot be named for legal reasons, wrote: “He had hate in his eyes and real evil intent that I saw emerge straight away.”

Recalling the incident, the mentor told jurors: “He was very calm, very relaxed, but when he got this negative response his whole demeanour changed and it was actually quite frightening when I saw it at that particular point.

“He was really angry and I could see his face get really tight and his eyes really intent-looking and he realised I had seen him and he quickly tried to downplay it, saying it’s OK, these things happen.”

Challenged on the difference between the initial account and his later statement, the witness denied he had “toned it down” to begin with.

Previously, the mentor said they had got on “well” and Khan was grateful for the support.

In twice weekly meetings, the mentor accompanied him to the job centre and supervised his use of the internet at the library.

The inquest heard Khan told him he was “looking at pursuing an academic career in combating extremism”.

Khan spoke of having “some sort of transformation” since he began writing which “opened his eyes”, jurors heard.

He also claimed to have challenged people more extreme than him in prison, the inquest heard.

On his connection with Learning Together which organised the Fishmongers’ Hall event, Khan told the mentor he felt “empowered by it”.

The witness said: “He said he really enjoyed being part of it. He enjoyed the writing and he was looking to pursuing something a bit more long term.”

A second mentor, who took over Khan’s case in March 2019, went on to describe him as a “manipulative” man who attempted to play an “alpha role”.

He told jurors Khan would “brag” about lifting 200 kilos at the gym when he was not actually able to lift more than 20 or 30 kilos.

When it came to martial arts, the mentor had more experience than Khan too, jurors heard.

In one of his reports, the second mentor described how Khan had said there was “nothing better and stronger than kalashnikovs (assault rifles) and diesel cars as they are the most reliable”.

Jonathan Hough QC, counsel to the coroner, said: “It seems there were a number of occasions where he reacted with sudden rudeness and aggression to fairly anodyne comments you made. Was that a theme?”

The second mentor, who cannot be identified, replied: “With him it was always a bumpy ride, it would never be stable. With him it was always an ongoing battle and trying to improve.”

Earlier, a prison psychologist told how she was “very worried” about Khan before he was released.

Ieva Cechaviciute interviewed Khan for six-and-a half hours in January 2018 at HMP Whitemoor for an Extremism Risk Guidelines (ERG) report.

On his manner during the interviews, she said: “It appeared that it was underlying anger and bitterness in his approach towards me but I think he was trying to be very polite in the interview.”

Her interviews led to the conclusion that Khan had made “little progress” in prison and did not understand his risk, the inquest heard.

Being in jail had even made him a “greater risk” and “elevated his profile”, jurors heard.

The witness also noted intelligence that Khan had radicalised others and was involved with extremist gangs.

She said it was “very difficult to see whether he made any genuine progress”.

The witness told jurors she had assessed that Khan’s risk of engaging in “extremist activity” would increase upon his release.

Mr Hough asked: “To what extent did these conclusions reflect a real cause for worry about somebody who is going to be released in eight months’ time?”

She replied: “That was very worrying to me and I really was very worried how to communicate this to whoever was reading my report, so therefore I went into a lot of detail explaining the pattern of his behaviour and trying to communicate that his risk is likely to increase when he is released.”

When confronted with incidents of violence or anything portraying him in a “negative light”, Khan responded by “rationalising it, minimising it or denying it”, she said.

While Khan might have wanted to change, he was “not being very successful at it”, she added.

When she reviewed her report with Khan, he was “very upset, very angry” and “did not see the report as valid at all”, Ms Cechaviciute said.

The witness had flagged potential warning signs to look for following his release, including lack of purpose, boredom and unemployment.

The court has previously heard that Khan’s attempts to find a job were unsuccessful and he spent time alone at home playing on his Xbox.

The inquest at the Guildhall into the victims’ deaths continues.

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Categories: Extremism Risk Guidelines Report, Jack Merritt, News, Saskia Jones, Usman Khan