Terrorist a ‘nice, polite boy radicalised in jail and online’
TPolice conduct a finger-tip search following the terror attack in Streatham High Road, south London by Sudesh Amman, 20, who was shot dead
HE mother of Streatham terrorist Sudesh Amman has described him as a “nice, polite boy”, who was radicalised while in a high-security jail and by viewing extremist material online.
Haleema Faraz Khan told Sky News that her son, who had wanted to study biomedical science, had seemed “normal” when she visited him on Thursday.
She also spoke to him hours before he staged the attack, when he called to ask her to make some mutton biryani.
Fanatic Amman was shot dead by police after grabbing a knife from a shop and attacking two bystanders in Streatham High Road, south London, on Sunday. A third person was injured by flying glass during the gunfire.
The 20-year-old, who was jailed for possessing and distributing terrorist documents in December 2018, had recently been freed from prison and had been staying at a bail hostel in nearby Leigham Court Road for the past two weeks.
His mother told the broadcaster: “He became more religious inside prison, that’s where I think he became radicalised. He was watching and listening to things online which brainwashed him.”
Last night Justice Secretary Richard Buckland said emergency legislation is needed to make sure terrorists are not released automatically from prison half way through their sentence.
Mr Buckland also said the Parole Board should review cases before such offenders are freed.
The atrocity follows the attack at Fishmongers’ Hall in the City of London in November, when another convicted terrorist, Usman Khan, murdered two people despite being on probation.
Cambridge graduates Jack Merritt, 25, and Saskia Jones, 23, were stabbed to death at the rehabilitation conference.
Amman’s mother told the broadcaster she believed he had been radicalised while in high-security jail Belmarsh, and had also developed extreme views after looking at Islamist material online.
He had been released from prison on January 23, according to London Mayor Sadiq Khan.
Recalling the terror attack last month by two inmates wearing fake suicide belts at maximum security jail HMP Whitemoor, he described prisons as “warehouses where people are radicalised more” and learn from a “university of crime rather than being rehabilitated and punished”.
About 245 convicted terrorists were freed from jail between 2012 and 2019.
Mr Khan said more than 70 people who have been convicted of a terrorist offence and served time in prison have been released in the capital.
Yesterday, Prime Minister Boris Johnson said the Government will crack down on the early release of terrorist prisoners, although it is not clear how this will be applied to cases already in train.
“We are bringing forward legislation to stop the system of automatic early release. The difficulty is how to apply retrospectively to the cohort of people who currently qualify,” he said.
After the Fishmongers’ Hall attack, a raft of measures were proposed including forcing dangerous terrorists who receive extended determinate sentences to serve the whole time behind bars.
The Counter Terrorism (Sentencing and Release) Bill would also ensure those convicted of serious offences, such as preparing acts of terrorism or directing a terrorist organisation, would spend a minimum of 14 years in jail, introduce lie-detector tests for offenders, and double the number of counter-terrorism probation officers.