WHY DID THEY LET HIM OUT?
Terrorist released from jail days ago after serving just half his sentence was ‘under police surveillance’. Yet he was still free to stab two victims before being shot dead
THIS was the moment an Islamic terrorist was gunned down on a busy high street yesterday after going on a knife rampage.
Fanatic Sudesh Amman, 20, who was released from jail only days ago, had been under police surveillance.
Wearing a fake suicide vest, Amman stole a £3.99 ten-inch blade from a convenience store and stabbed one man in the stomach before knifing a female cyclist in the back just after 2pm in Streatham, south London.
Armed police who had been following him were on the scene within minutes, chasing him down the high street
‘stop’ before opening fire outside a Boots chemist. Last night, as the male victim was fighting for his life in hospital, it emerged that:
■ Amman, of Harrow, north-west London, was under surveillance by armed plain- clothes counter-terrorism police because they suspected he may be about to launch a terror attack;
■ Whitehall sources said he had been released from prison recently – ‘despite concerns over his conduct’ – because the law did not give them the power to keep him locked up;
■ The Parole Board said last night it did not play a role in the decision to release Amman, who was freed automatically part-way through his three years and four months sentence;
■ Amman was jailed in December 2018 for the possession and distribution of extremist material, and was described in court as having a ‘fierce interest in violence and martyrdom’ and a ‘fascination with dying in the name of terrorism’;
■ During his trial, it was revealed that Amman suggested it was permissible to rape Y azidi women, claiming the Koran permitted rape in such circumstances because they were slaves;
■ Boris Johnson said he will announce plans today for ‘fundamental changes to the system for dealing with those convicted of terrorism offences’.
Yesterday, officers are thought to have called for back -up in a panic after seeing Amman steal the knife before launching his attack, reportedly yelling ‘Allahu Akbar’.
In the rush to get there, one police car crashed into a driveway on a residential street a mile away.
Police ordered the evacuation of surrounding shops, cafes, homes and a cinema amid fears Amman may have a bomb strapped to his chest. But the vest stuffed with silver canisters was a hoax.
Amman’s terrifying attack on Streatham High Road has raised disturbing questions about the supervision of freed terrorists and whether they should face tougher sentences and more stringent monitoring.
Mr Johnson announced a review in December into the licence conditions of 74 terrorists who had been let out of jail early.
It followed the London Bridge atrocity by convicted terrorist Usman Khan, who stabbed Cambridge University graduates Jack Merritt and Saskia Jones to death.
Mr Johnson said last night: ‘My thoughts are with the injured vic - tims and their loved ones following today’s horrific attack.
‘I want to pay tribute to the speed and bravery of the police who responded and confronted the attacker – preventing further inju - ries and violence – and all of the emergency services who came to the aid of others. An investigation is taking place at pace to establish the full facts of what happened.
‘Following the awful events [on London Bridge], we have moved quickly to introduce a package of measures to strengthen every ele - ment of our response to terrorism – including longer prison sentences and more money for the police.’ Home Secretary P riti Patel said Amman had ‘some clear history in relation to counter - terrorism offences’. She added: ‘It ’s right that these individuals are kept behind bars and we need to stop their early release from prison.’
Last night there was speculation that the Streatham stabbings may have been a copycat attack . Like Khan and the 2017 London Bridge attackers, Amman went on a knife rampage wearing a fake suicide vest in a bid to deter bystanders from intervening.
Scotland Y ard said Amman ’s male victim was in a critical condi-shouting
tion in hospital. The cyclist – who was thought to have been with two young boys when she was stabbed – is recovering in hospital.
A second woman was also taken to hospital with minor injuries, believed to have been caused by glass following the discharge of the police firearms. Last night there were questions for the emergency services as witnesses said it took 30 minutes for ambulances to start treating one of the victims, although a spokesman said they were on the scene within four minutes of the attack.
Kiranjeet Singh, the owner of Low Price Store, said his brother Jagmon saw the terrorist steal a kitchen knife before removing the packaging and stabbing two people. Another witness said: ‘A man just went into a shop and took a knife and started stabbing people.
‘The shopkeeper tried to get the knife away from him but he got away and stabbed a woman on a bicycle. The knife was really big.’ A 19- year- old student from Streatham, who did not want to be named, added: ‘I saw a man with a machete and silver canisters on his chest being chased by what I assume was an undercover police officer. The man was then shot.’
David Chawner, 31, said: ‘I saw someone bump into someone and they hit the ground.
‘After that they carried on running and I heard someone shriek. I presumed they stole something so I ran after them.
‘I counted four shots. I saw someone on the floor, I thought they had been Tasered. I saw their hands reaching up. They were lying on their side and they were reaching out. Two armed officers were keeping their guns on the man.’
Karker Tahir, who was working in a shop nearby, said he heard ‘three gunshots and a man running, with screams behind him’.
He told Sky News: ‘I saw this guy running on the pavement. And behind him there was two or three undercover police officers with guns. They kept telling him “stop”. And I then saw them shoot him three times.
‘The police said, “you have to leave the shop because he has a bomb on his back”.’
A Whitehall source said: ‘He was under surveillance, that is what allowed police to do their job so quickly. It could have been much worse. There had been concerns when he was in prison but there were no powers for any authority to keep him behind bars.’
JUST two months ago the Prime Minister ordered a review of the threat posed by convicted terrorists released early from prison on licence.
Yesterday, a man in that category – Sudesh Amman – ran amok in the London suburb of Streatham, stabbing two people before being shot dead by police. So what on earth went wrong? The review followed the London Bridge attack in which two Cambridge graduates died. It emerged that their killer, Usman Khan, had recently been freed after serving half of a 16-year term for terror offences.
Amman was not included in the review, having been released only last month. He, too, had served just half his three years and four-month sentence.
But police were following him, which means he was regarded as a clear and present danger. So why wasn’t he stopped?
No one pretends that keeping track of extremists is easy. There are about 3,000 under some form of surveillance and random attacks like this can be hard to predict.
With convicted terrorists however, the threat is obvious.
If they are on licence, the merest hint they are a risk to the public should be enough for them to be sent straight back into custody. There are still many unanswered questions about this attack. But it surely represents a failure in the Government’s duty to protect its citizens.
Boris Johnson has spoken of reforming sentencing policy, so criminals are not automatically eligible for early release.
In the case of jihadis, that would be a hugely popular move.
This incident proves yet again that many are beyond rehabilitation. The safest place for them is behind bars – for as long as the law allows.