Sudesh Amman: Who was the Streatham attacker?

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Tim Baker4 February 2020
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Sudesh Amman launched a terror attack on the streets of London on Sunday February 2, just days after being released from prison.

It is the second attack in the capital in the space of a few months following Usman Khan’s murderous spree on London Bridge in November.

Amman had previously been jailed for terrorism offences and reportedly wanted to emulate the assassination of Labour MP Jo Cox.

The Streatham attack has provoked more conversations about the early release of prisoners, and the government wants to draft emergency laws to make a parole review necessary.

Police at the scene following the terror attack in Streatham High Road
PA

Who was Sudesh Amman?

Sudesh Amman was raised in Harrow, north west London.

Before he was jailed, the teen had been living at home with his family and was a college student studying science and maths.

He was first noticed by police in 2018 after he posted images of the ISIS flag on social media and appeared to encourage an attack against a pro-gay rights speaker.

Amman was just 17 at the time and, after police arrested him, it was also discovered he had been encouraging his girlfriend to kill her parents for being non-believers.

After he was arrested and taken to court - by now aged 18 - the Londoner admitted possessing documents containing terrorist information and also disseminating it.

Judge Mark Lucraft QC sentenced him to three years and four months behind bars in December 2018.

His young age and guilty plea were taken into account, but also previous convictions for drug and weapon possession.

Under the current law, Amman was released after serving half his sentence, and so was set free on January 23, 2020.

According to London Mayor Sadiq Khan he was fitted with an electronic tag and living in a bail hostel in south London.

It is understood that he was also put under 24-hour police surveillance.

Scotland Yard said an operation was launched which included armed surveillance officers.

A knife found in Amman's home at the time he was sentenced to prison in December 2018
PA

What happened during the Streatham attack?

On Sunday February 2, Amman, now aged 20, was shot dead after attacking two people with a knife.

He had walked into a shop just before 2pm with a fake suicide vest strapped to his chest, grabbed a knife from a shelf and ran out.

Amman proceeded to attack a man in his 40s and a woman in her 50s.

Within 60 seconds of the attack starting, Amman was dead, having been shot by armed police who had been following him.

Officers saw a device under the terrorist’s clothes, but quickly realised it was a hoax item.

A cordon was set up and the victims were treated. Another woman, aged in her 20s, was injured after reportedly being struck by glass shattered by a bullet.

The 40-year-old was initially thought to be in a life threatening condition but was later downgraded to serious but stable.

The 50-year-old woman was discharged from hospital with non-life threatening injuries.

A woman reacts as police interview people near the scene of the terror incident in Streatham 
Getty Images

When was Amman in prison?

Amman was jailed on December 17, 2018 and sent to Belmarsh prison in southeast London.

Amman reportedly told fellow inmates that he wanted to “do something real” and hoped to emulate the assassination of Labour MP Jo Cox.

One person who was incarcerated with the Streatham terrorist told The Times: “The guy was definitely insane and he never hid his intentions, so it’s crazy how he even got out of jail.”

Talking of killing a politician, Amman apparently said: “The only way to get these filthy kafirs [non-believers] out of Syria is to take out MPs like that white guy did with the lady in 2016”.

Amman’s mother Haleema Khan, 41, described him as a "nice, polite boy" but said he had become "more religious" while in prison.

She also said that he was radicalised online.

Amman was released on January 23, 2020, and was living in a Streatham bail hostel at the time he carried out his attack.

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