London Bridge terror attack: Attacker named, was previously convicted of terrorism offences; one victim was a Cambridge University graduate

LONDON (REUTERS, BLOOMBERG) - British police named the man who stabbed two people to death in London on Friday (Nov 29) in what the authorities called a terrorist attack as 28-year-old Usman Khan, who had been convicted of terrorism offences and was released from prison last year.

Khan, whose family comes from Pakistan-controlled Kashmir, was convicted in 2012 for his part in an Al-Qaeda-inspired plot to blow up the London Stock Exchange but was released in December 2018 subject to conditions.

"This individual was known to authorities, having been convicted in 2012 for terrorism offences," Britain's top counter-terrorism police officer, Neil Basu, said in a statement.

"He was released from prison in December 2018 on licence and clearly, a key line of enquiry now is to establish how he came to carry out this attack," Basu said.

A person who is released on licence is subject to conditions for the duration of their sentence after leaving prison. The Times newspaper reported that Khan had agreed to wear an electronic tag.

The attacker went on the rampage just before 2pm, targeting people at Fishmongers' Hall near London Bridge in the heart of the city's financial district - the scene of a deadly attack by Islamist militants two years ago.

In addition to the man and the woman who were killed, a man and two women were injured and remain in hospital, Basu said.

Security minister said police are not looking for any other suspects, Sky News reported on Saturday.

One of the two victims who were fatally stabbed was identified as Mr Jack Merritt, 25, a University of Cambridge graduate, who was a coordinator of the conference that Khan attended, the BBC reported.

With voters set to go to the polls on Dec 12, the revelation that the attacker was a former convicted terrorist is likely to put pressure on the ruling Conservatives - who traditionally view crime prevention as one of their stronger cards - to explain why the person was allowed out of jail.

Prime Minister Boris Johnson said that his government would review sentencing policies in the wake of the attack.

"It is a mistake to allow serious and violent criminals to come out of prison early, and it is very important that we get out of that habit and that we enforce the appropriate sentences for dangerous criminals, especially for terrorists," he said.

Johnson leads opposition leader Jeremy Corbyn, according to opinion polls.

During the 2017 election campaign, London Bridge was the scene of an attack when three militants drove a van into pedestrians and then attacked people in the surrounding area, killing eight and injuring at least 48. The attack focused attention on cuts to policing since the governing Conservatives took power in 2010.

"We owe a deep debt of gratitude to our police and emergency services, and the brave members of the public who put themselves in harm's way to protect others," Corbyn said late on Friday.

Mayor Sadiq Khan said on Saturday on BBC's Radio 4 that while there will be "more high visibility police officers present in London" through the weekend, "there's no reason to believe there is an increased threat" from terrorism.

The bridge will remain closed for some time, he said from the site on Saturday afternoon.