Terrorist launched attack after victim’s toilets discovery

A terrorist launched an attack at a prison rehabilitation event after one of his victims chanced upon him making preparations in the men’s toilets, an inquest had heard. Usman Khan murdered two people and stabbed several others in a knife rampage at Fishmongers’ Hall in London, on 29 November 2019. The opening of inquests into his victims’ deaths heard that he was a guest at an event held by Cambridge University’s Learning Together rehabilitation programme.

The 28-year-old had been jailed in 2010 over a jihadist terror attack plot, and was released in December 2018 under licence conditions. Khan listened to talks and attended a workshop before going to the men’s toilets, where he taped two 8-inch kitchen knives to his hands and left a third in the toilet cubicle. Jack Merritt, a Learning Together course coordinator, entered the men’s toilets by chance shortly before 2pm. The inquests, being held at London’s Guildhall instead of the Old Bailey to enable social distancing, heard that Mr Merritt, 25, tried to defend himself as Khan set upon him. He sustained 12 injuries, including a fatal wound to the chest.

Khan left the toilets and went into the venue’s cloakroom, where Learning Together volunteer Saskia Jones, 23, had just entered to leave her coat. DCI Dan Brown, who led the investigation into the attack, said Khan “made a gesture towards a member of staff as if to be quiet” before approaching Ms Jones and stabbing her fatally in the neck. The inquest is expected to last for several weeks, and will be followed by a separate jury inquest into the death of Khan, who was shot by police on London Bridge.