Three injured in high street terrorist attack
Man shot dead by police in incident believed to be ‘Islamist-related’
TWO people have been stabbed in a terrorist attack in south London which police believe to be “Islamist-related”.
Scotland Yard said armed officers shot dead a man, named as Sudesh Amman, as part of a “proactive Counter Terrorism operation” on Streatham High Road that unfolded at 2pm yesterday.
Three victims were taken to a south London hospital, with one man’s condition said to be lifethreatening and one woman being treated for non-life threatening injuries.
Police said a second woman received minor injuries believed to have been caused by glass following the discharge of a police firearm.
It is believed Amman had only been released from prison in the last few days after serving a sentence for the possession and distribution of extremist material, and had been under surveillance.
A device found strapped to the body of the suspect was a hoax, the Metropolitan Police added in a statement.
It said: “The situation has been contained and officers from the Met’s Counter Terrorism Command are now leading an investigation into the incident.
“The incident was quickly declared as a terrorist incident and we believe it to be Islamist-related.”
One witness described seeing the man apparently carrying a weapon with “silver canisters on his chest” being shot in front of a Boots store.
Another said members of the public came to the aid of victims, with one saying she had been stabbed.
People took shelter in nearby shops as the incident unfolded on the busy south London high street.
A 19-year-old student from Streatham, who did not want to be named, told the Press Association news agency: “I was crossing the road when I saw a man with a machete and silver canisters on his chest being chased by what I assume was an undercover police officer, as they were in civilian clothing.
“The man was then shot. I think I heard three gunshots but I can’t quite remember.
“After that, I ran into the library to get to safety.
“From the library, I saw a load of ambulances and armed police officers arrive on the scene.”
Jonathan Bartley, co-leader of the Green Party and councillor for the St Leonard’s ward on Lambeth Council, said: “There’s absolute shock and disbelief from residents that are around. There was an immediate sense of panic and fear when it happened.”
He added: “The emergency services seemed to have reacted incredibly quickly, I mean so quickly that you wonder whether they had some advance warning about this because they were here in such great numbers so quickly.”
Nardos Mulugeta, 52, a mechanical engineer who lives in Streatham, said that he heard gunshots before seeing one victim lying in the street.
He said: “I heard a shot and then there was a 20-second gap. Then there were three or four shots together.
“I went over and I saw the first vic