Co-ordinator of course attended by terrorist was killed in rampage
One of the victims of the London Bridge attack was the co-ordinator of the ex-prisoners’ course that terrorist Usman Khan had been attending before launching his attack.
Jack Merritt, 25, was described as a “beautiful spirit” yesterday after he died along with a woman victim in the knife rampage on Friday afternoon.
Mr Merritt, of Cambridge, had been at the Learning Together event at Fishmongers’ Hall in London when the attack unfolded.
His dad David yesterday paid tribute to his son, writing on Twitter: “My son, Jack, who was killed in this attack, would not wish his death to be used as the pretext for more draconian sentences or for detaining people unnecessarily.
“RIP Jack: you were a beautiful spirit who always took the side of the underdog.”
He said his son had been a champion for those “dealt a losing hand by life, who ended up in the prison system”.
David added that the Cambridge community was in “shock” after the attack, which has left another three people injured.
Friends yesterday paid tribute to Jack, with one stating: “He was the sweetest, most caring and selfless individual I’ve ever met.
“The warmest heart, always with time for anyone. Completely irreplaceable – I will mourn his loss greatly and honour his memory.”
Khan killed two people and injured three others. The hospital where victims were rushed on Friday was placed in a state of emergency as the incident unfolded.
One witness said five victims were taken to the Royal London Hospital. Two could not be saved while the other three suffered serious injuries.
Speaking outside the hospital, in the city’s Whitechapel, patients described police officers on every floor when the building went into “lockdown”.
Further armed officers provided security back-up in and around the building yesterday.
A woman, visiting her mum at the hospital yesterday, added: “When we arrived there were police everywhere. Inside, the building was on lockdown.”
The injured are understood to include a man in an induced coma and a woman in her 20s with slash wounds to her arms and stomach.