‘He was critical of violent extremism’: London Bridge attack knifeman Usman Khan wrote letter asking to be ‘deradicalised’

London Bridge attacker Usman Khan wrote a letter asking to take part in a deradicalisation course | READ THE LETTER

London Bridge attacker Usman Khan wrote a letter from his jail cell asking to be 'deradicalised'. Top left: Khan is shot by police. Bottom right: Victim Jack Merritt.

London Bridge attacker Usman Khan wrote a letter asking to take part in a deradicalisation course in order to become “a good British citizen”, it’s been revealed.

The existence of the letter — sent from his prison cell in 2012 as he served a 16-year sentence for his conviction in a 2010 plot to blow up the London Stock Exchange — was confirmed by Khan’s former lawyer Vajahat Sharif, who admitted he was “astonished” at Khan’s attack.

In his letter, Khan said he was “immature” when he committed the 2010 offence and asked for “deradicalisation”.

“I would like to do such a course so I can prove to the authorities, my family and soicity (sic) in general that I don’t carry the views I had before my arrest and also I can prove that at the time I was immature, and now I am much more mature and want to live my life as a good Muslim and also a good citizen of Britain,” he wrote.

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Khan was released last year after serving just half of his sentence. Yesterday, wearing an electronic tag, he stabbed to death two people and injured three in a frenzied attack inside the Fishmongers’ Hall. The attack came after he attended a prisoner rehabilitation experience hosted by Cambridge University.

“This man himself when I was speaking to him while he was in custody was very critical of Islamic State and what they stood for,” Mr Sharif told ITV News.

“That’s why it’s quite disturbing and concerning that, on his release, he did something like this.

"He was critical of violent extremism. He understood it was wrong so this is quite astonishing."

Vajahat Sharif, a lawyer who represented Usman Khan says it's "disturbing" that he carried out an "Islamic State" style attack as he'd spoken out against their ideologies. pic.twitter.com/Dzo7TNesrz

— ITV News (@itvnews) November 30, 2019

“Initially, he presented himself as a confused young man, understandably so — but over the course of time he was quite a pleasant individual to deal with. That doesn’t take anything away from the tragedy of this situation, the people who’ve lost their lives — an appalling loss of life.

“I feel sorry for the victims and I’m just querying, also, whether Usman potentially was a victim himself of something.

“He was critical of violent extremism, and this is an important point to understand, he was very critical of it. He understood it was wrong, so this is quite astonishing.”

Islamic State has released a statement claiming responsibility for the attack.

“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,” IS said, referring to a multi-country alliance against the group.

The incident comes two years after Islamist extremists in a van ploughed into pedestrians on London Bridge before attacking people at random with knives in nearby Borough Market.

On that occasion, eight people were killed and 48 wounded before the three attackers, who were wearing fake suicide devices, were shot dead by police.

British Prime Minister Boris Johnson vowed to review Britain’s sentencing system.

“It does not make sense for us as a society to be putting people who have been convicted of terrorist offences … out on early release,” Johnson, who became Tory leader in July, said as he visited the scene.

“We argue that people should serve the tariff, serve the term, of which they are sentenced,” the prime minister added, noting the Conservatives’ manifesto called for a tougher sentencing regime.

Labour leader Jeremy Corbyn said apparent failings in the handling of Khan’s case raised urgent questions about whether both the parole and wider justice system were working effectively.

“We need to investigate fully the way all aspects of the criminal justice system operate,” he added.
Metropolitan Police Assistant Commissioner Neil Basu said five people had been stabbed inside Fishmonger’s Hall by London Bridge before members of the public pursued the attacker. The three survivors remain in hospital.

Basu added that Khan had been released under “an extensive list of licence conditions” with which he had previously been complying.

Police yesterday searched two properties in Stoke-on-Trent, Khan’s home city, and Stafford in central England.

— with AFP