TERROR SUSPECT ON RADAR OF MI5
Libyan refugee accused of knifing 3 to death ‘wanted to join ISIS’
A refugee held over a deadly terror attack was on the radar of MI5 because of a tip-off that he wanted to join Islamic State.
Khairi Saadallah, 25, came to their attention last year following intelligence that he had an ‘aspiration to travel’ – possibly for terrorism.
The Libyan became a ‘ subject of interest’ until the security services closed the case, deciding he was ‘mentally unsound’ and there was nothing to corroborate the tip-off.
Saadallah was arrested following an atrocity in a park in Reading on Saturday night. In front of horrified families, three people, one a teacher, were knifed to death and three others
wounded. Their attacker, who was mumbling incoherently, was rugby-tackled to the ground by an unarmed police officer.
Reacting yesterday to the incident, Boris Johnson said: ‘If there are lessons we need to learn about how we handle such cases, how we handle the events leading up to such cases, then we will learn those lessons and we will not hesitate to take action.’
He added: ‘I’m appalled and sickened that people should lose their lives in this way and our thoughts are very much with the family and the friends of the victims today.’
Saadallah is believed to have fled to the UK in 2012 after being left traumatised by Libya’s civil war. He is thought to have been granted asylum here in 2018.
Government sources said the case would ‘embolden’ their plans to reform the asylum system. They said they were committed to eliminating delays and loopholes.
Sources said Home Secretary Priti Patel was up with officials into the early hours yesterday to ‘understand the perpetrator’s full immigration status and background’. In other developments:
■ Saadallah is said to have been ‘well known’ to mental health professionals and was in hospital a week before the attack;
■ Police leaders praised the bravery of the police officer who tackled the knifeman;
■ One of the victims was described as an inspirational teacher;
■ The Reading outrage is the third terror attack in the UK since the threat level was downgraded last November.
A meeting between the Prime Minister, the Home Secretary, MI5 officers and counter-terrorism police was held yesterday morning, and several further meetings took place throughout the day.
Miss Patel will visit Reading today to meet officers who responded to the killings and to receive a briefing from Chief Constable John Campbell.
A Whitehall source said of Saadallah: ‘There was a reported aspiration to travel but it was not deemed credible enough to open an investigation.’
Last night there were reports that the Libyan, who called himself ‘Khairy Thug’ online, had gone off the rails after winning asylum and had at one point converted to Christianity from Islam.
Relatives said the suspect had arrived in the UK as a tourist before claiming asylum claiming he was at risk from Islamic extremists due to him not leading a ‘strict religious life’ in Libya.
They said he was seen by mental health experts as recently as June 14.
Friends said Saadallah and his brother Aymen were scarred by fighting against former Libyan dictator Muammar Gaddafi.
One cousin in Libya, who did not wanted to be named, said: ‘I cannot believe this. I can’t believe he’d do anything like this or be involved in anything to do with terrorism.
‘Khairi had been to the UK a number of times but at the end of 2012 he travelled there as a tourist and decided to stay and claim asylum. He was at risk of extremists in Libya because he liked to drink and socialise and didn’t really lead a strict religious life. He did get in trouble in England but I can’t ever imagine him getting drawn into something as serious as this.’
Witnesses to the attack claimed the knifeman approached a group of middle-aged men drinking in the park. Lawrence Wort, 20, said: ‘He stabbed three of them, severely in the neck, and under the arms, and then turned and started running toward me. I saw a knife in his hand. He turned and started looking towards us and that’s when I just started shouting “run”.’
The dead teacher was James Furlong, head of history, government and politics at The Holt School in Wokingham. The school described him as a ‘kind and gentle man’ who had a ‘real sense of duty and cared for each and every one of our students’.
Another three victims were taken to the Royal Berkshire Hospital. One of the patients was discharged, while the other two were in a critical but stable condition last night.
Neil Basu, an assistant commissioner at Scotland Yard and national head of counterterrorism policing, said that the motivation for the killings was ‘far from certain’ but that counterterrorism police had taken over the investigation.
Last night Saadallah was still being quizzed by counter terrorism police.
‘Lessons we need to learn’