London Bridge stabbing: First victim identified as Jack Merritt

[The Bobster]

https://nypost.com/2019/11/30/london-bridge-stabbing-first-victim-identified-as-jack-merritt/

London Bridge stabbing: First victim identified as Jack Merritt
By Eileen AJ Connelly
November 30, 2019 | 12:12pm | Updated

A man killed in the London Bridge stabbing attack Friday was identified as 25-year-old University of Cambridge graduate Jack Merritt.

Merritt was a course coordinator at Learning Together, the organization that conducted the prison rehabilitation conference attended by Usman Khan at Fishmongers’ Hall Friday , according to Sky News. Merritt ran to the scene of the attack in the hall after hearing screams and seeing a woman covered in blood, Sky News said.

Khan, 28, who was released a year ago from prison after serving half of a 16-year-sentence on terrorism charges and wore an electronic tracking device, burst from the hall onto the street at London Bridge wielding two knives and wearing a fake suicide vest.

The native of Pakistan killed two people, including Merritt, and wounded three before he was shot dead by police. Police said he was believed to have acted alone.

“My son, Jack, who was killed in this attack, would not wish his death to be used as the pretext of more draconian sentences or for detaining people unnecessarily :crazy:,” his father, David Merritt, reportedly tweeted. “R.I.P. Jack: you were a beautiful spirit who always took the side of the underdog.”

 

[The Bobster]

https://nypost.com/2019/11/29/london-bridge-suspect-had-prior-islamist-terrorism-conviction-report/

London Bridge suspect had prior ‘Islamist terrorism’ conviction: report
By Emily Saul
November 29, 2019 | 6:26pm

A man accused of stabbing to death two people and injuring three more in London has a previous conviction for an “Islamist terrorism-related offense” — and was wearing an electronic monitoring bracelet when he carried out Friday’s attack, according to a report.

The man — who was shot dead after being wrestled to the ground by bystanders in what British police called a “terrorist incident” — has a criminal history that includes a conviction for that unspecified offense, according to the Telegraph.

The madman, whose name has not yet been released, was sprung from prison about a year ago after agreeing to electronic monitoring, per the report, which cites anonymous government sources.

He was in the area of the London Bridge because he was due to speak at an event at Fishmonger’s Hall, where he was scheduled to share his experience as a rehabilitated man, the Times reports.

He was also wearing a phony suicide belt, authorities said.