London attacker wanted ex-girlfriend ‘to behead parents’

The ex-girlfriend of a man accused of stabbing three people in London has described his actions as “disgusting”, as it emerged the terrorist told her to kill her parents because “they weren’t religious enough”.

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The ex-girlfriend of London terrorist Sudesh Amman, who told her to behead her parents because they were not religious, said what he did was “disgusting”.

And it emerged that Amman told a friend “when I grow up I am going to be a terrorist.”

However, his mother blamed his radicalisation on his time in prison for terror offences as she revealed he asked for a special meal before he went on his bloody attack.

Amman, 20, was released just days before his attack in Streatham, south London, on Sunday afternoon.

Sudesh Amman told schoolmates he “wanted to be a terrorist” when he grew up. Picture: AAP

He had stolen a ceramic knife from a discount store on the high street, unwrapped it and then stabbed a female cyclist and a man on the street.

Police, who had been following him because of fears he would carry out an attack, killed him within eight seconds.

His ex-girlfriend, who a court heard was told by him to behead her parents, said she didn’t want anything to do with him.

“I don’t want to associate with him at all,” she told The Sun. “This is nothing to do with me. Nothing I stand for. It’s not my life. What happened is disgusting.

“I’ve moved on with my life and erased it from memory. I am gobsmacked. I can’t speak with anyone now. I want peace. This is a tragedy.”

Police were back at the scene on Monday. Picture: AP

TERRORIST BECAME ‘RADICALISED’ IN PRISON

It comes as Amman’s mum claimed he was a “polite” boy who appeared to be “normal” when she spoke to him just hours before the attack.

Haleema Khan, 41, said her son had changed after he was jailed for 13 terror offences in 2018.

“I spoke to him on the phone on Sunday,” Ms Khan told Sky News UK.

“He said: ‘Mum I want some biryani … your mutton biryani.’

“He was fine when I went to see him.”

Ms Khan comments come amid a debate about whether to reintroduce indefinite sentences for terror offenders.

“He became more religious inside prison, that’s where I think he became radicalised,” she said.

“He was watching and listening to things online which brainwashed him.”

Police raided two properties in London following Amman’s attack.

Police aim their guns at the man suspected of carrying out "terrorist related" stabbings in London. Picture: Twitter

He had been staying at a bail hostel after his release but he grew up in Harrow, north west London, with his mother and five younger brothers.

A female friend told the Evening Standard newspaper that Amman was scary.

“He kept on saying ‘I am going to bomb you,’” she said.

“We thought he was joking but he kept on saying it. He said, ‘When I grow up I want to be a terrorist.’”

British Prime Minister Boris Johnson said the jailing of terror offenders was difficult.

He said he was unsure whether to separate them from the rest of the prison population to stop them spreading their hate, or to sprinkle them through jails in the hope they do not incite each other to more violence.

London’s mayor Sadiq Khan called for the reintroduction of indefinite sentences for terror offences as the city comes to grips with its second terror attack in as many months.

ISIS CLAIMS RESPONSIBILITY FOR ATTACK

Meanwhile, the Islamic State has claimed responsibility for the attack.

ISIS claimed Amman was inspired by the group’s cause, saying the incident was “in response to calls to attack the citizens of coalition countries” combating ISIS across Syria and Iraq.

On Monday, British police searched a hostel where Amman is believed to have been living.

“I didn’t have much to do with him,” the hostel’s manager told the BBC.

Police officers guard a cordon, set up on Streatham High Road. Picture: AFP

“Everyone has their own rooms in there. The last time I saw him I was doing his radiator, setting up his heating on Friday. He didn’t speak much.”

Deputy Assistant Police Commissioner Lucy D’Orsi said counter-terrorism officers who had been monitoring Amman’s activities shot him dead.

“We are confident that this is an isolated incident that has been contained,” Ms D’Orsi said. “Officers from our Counter Terrorism Command are investigating.”

Police officers work at the scene of Sunday's terror stabbing attack. Picture: AP

UK TO OVERHAUL TERRORISM RESPONSE

Meanwhile, Britain was set to overhaul its sentencing laws after a second convicted terror plotter was able to carry out an attack following his automatic release from jail.

Amman was jailed in 2018 for terror offences including telling his girlfriend to behead her parents, sharing terrorist propaganda on a family WhatsApp group and writing that his life goals were to be a martyr.

However, he was automatically released halfway through his sentence under controversial UK laws in a similar way to Usman Khan, who killed two people in a London Bridge terror attack two months ago.

British Prime Minister Boris Johnson, who demanded tougher sentences after Khan’s attack, said “fundamental changes” were needed.

“An investigation is taking place at pace to establish the full facts of what happened, and the Government will provide all necessary support to the police and security services as this work goes on,” he said in a statement.

“Following the awful events at Fishmonger’s Hall (London Bridge), we have moved quickly to introduce a package of measures to strengthen every element of our response to terrorism – including longer prison sentences and more money for the police.”

Forensic officers examining the scene where a man was shot and killed by armed police in London. Picture: Hollie Adams/Getty

Amman was under active police surveillance at the time of the attack, so officers were able to respond in less than two minutes of him grabbing a knife from a shop and stabbing a man and a woman about 2pm local time on Sunday (1am AEDT Monday).

A third person was injured by broken glass after police fired at Amman.

Footage of the attack showed plain clothes police swoop on the terrorist.

One plain clothed police officer switches caps to a police issue before drawing his weapon, while another arrives on a motorbike seconds later.

Amman, who had a fake bomb vest strapped to his chest, was killed outside a Boots pharmacy.

The attack was surprising because it was on a suburban street in the rough diamond city suburb, which is beginning to be gentrified, instead of at a major landmark such as London Bridge or the Tube, like other incidents.

Police forensic officers working near the scene of a stabbing incident in Streatham, London. Picture: Alberto Pezzali

Deputy assistant commissioner of special operations at London’s Metropolitan Police Lucy D’Orsi said three people were taken by ambulance to hospitals following the attack.

“Armed officers, who were part of a proactive counter-terrorism surveillance operation and were following the suspect on foot, were in immediate attendance and shot a male suspect dead at the scene,” she said.

“The suspect had been recently released from prison where he had been serving a sentence for Islamist-related terrorism offences.

“The officers saw that a device was strapped to his body and called in specialist explosives officers and additional armed officers to deal with the potential threat that posed.”

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A man in his 40s and a woman in his 40s were stabbed but did not suffer life threatening injuries, while a third woman was hurt by broken glass after police shot the terrorists.

Assistant commissioner D’Orsi confirmed the terrorist was Sudesh Amman, aged 20.

She said Amman was wearing a “hoax” suicide vest.

“We are confident that this is an isolated incident that has been contained,” she added.

Heather Elliott, 26, was with her six-month-old baby son on the bus when she heard of the attack.

“I got a phone call from my partner and she said it was a terror attack, are you OK?” she said.

Ms Elliott said she wanted to know why police had not acted before Amman attacked.

“MI6 know these people. For the police to get here so quick they must have known he was here,” she said.

Police aim their guns at the man suspected of stabbing three people on a busy London street in a “terrorist related” incident. Picture: Supplied

Paul Courtney, 46, of Streatham, said he had lived in the area for 26 years and had never seen anything so bad.

“I feel a little bit uneasy about it. It’s a little bit odd that it’s kicked off around here,” he said.

Javed Merchant said he was just a few metres away from one of the victims.

Daniella, who asked for her surname not to be used, said she came out from her flat when she heard screaming before realising it was a terror attack.

A police forensic officer working near the scene of the stabbing incident in Streatham, London. Picture: Alastair Grant

Amman was described as having a “fascination with dying in the name of terrorism” following his trial in 2018.

“Amman had scrawled his ‘life goals’ in the notepad and top of the list, above family activities, was dying a martyr and going to ‘Jannah’ – the afterlife,” Acting Commander Alexis Boon, head of the Met Police Counter Terrorism Command, said at the time of the court hearing.

Originally published as London attacker wanted ex-girlfriend ‘to behead parents’