London Bridge terrorist Usman Khan’s family ‘shocked and saddened’ by atrocity and ‘totally condemn’ attack
THE family of London Bridge terror attacker Usman Khan said they are “saddened and shocked” by the atrocity.
Usman Khan, 28, was shot dead by police after he went on a rampage in a fake suicide vest and stabbed a man and a woman to death, putting another three in hospital on Friday.
The Fishmongers’ Hall terrorist was previously pictured laughing as he shared a poem thanking the workers who helped rehabilitate him that he would later kill, it has emerged.
Now his family have spoken out and “totally condemn his actions”.
In a short statement through the Metropolitan Police, they said: "We are saddened and shocked by what Usman has done," it said.
"We totally condemn his actions and we wish to express our condolences to the families of the victims that have died and wish a speedy recovery to all of the injured.
"We would like to request privacy for our family at this difficult time."
We totally condemn his actions and we wish to express our condolences to the families of the victims that have died and wish a speedy recovery to all of the injured.
Usman Khan's family
Khan had been helped by Learning Together after he was released from prison in December last year.
And he was used as a poster boy by the programme after he thanked them for helping him get a computer he could use without breaching his bail conditions.
The programme shared Khan's message of thanks, which was written alongside a photo of the ex-convict appearing to laugh.
Writing in a poem, he said: "I write so I can enter the coldest of hearts, I write so I can speak to those locked off from the world engulfed in the blinding absence of sight."
The five lines poem then ended: "I write so I can express what I feel is right."
In the report, the organisation published the Thank You letter Khan wrote them for the laptop saying they have a "special place" in his heart.
It reads: "I typed these reflections on the chromebook I received and I am truly grateful to be able to express myself through it.
"I cannot send enough thanks to the entire Learning Together team and all those who continue to support this wonderful community."
'SPECIAL PLACE'
The images only show the ex-convict from the back, but it is understood to be Khan.
Khan had been at a Learning Together event at Fishmongers' Hall when he murdered Cambridge University graduate Saskia Jones, 23, and 25-year-old Jack Merritt.
Questions have since arisen over just why Khan hadn't needed to face the Parole Board before he was released from prison.
Khan, from Staffordshire, had been convicted in 2012 for terror offences.
He was part of a nine-man group who plotted to bomb the London Stock Exchange and set up a terrorist training camp in Pakistan-controlled Kashmir.
The men were inspired by al-Qaeda and had been under surveillance by MI5.
It is understood Khan was taught by Islam4UK's leader Anjem Choudary, a hate preacher who was freed in 2018.
Mr Justice Wilkie, the judge in the case, said the group's actions showed a "serious, long-term venture into terrorism" and could have resulted atrocities across the UK.
The judge branded Khan and two plotters as "the more serious jihadists" of the group.
He was banned from entering London but had a one-day exemption to attend the ex-convict event organised.
Cambridge graduate Jack Merritt, a 25-year-old course coordinator, was killed in the terror attack, along with Saskia Jones, 23.
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Jack's dad David has shared posts calling Boris Johnson's response to the murders "beyond disgusting".
He condemned the prime minister and Priti Patel, the home secretary, for using the attack as justification for a series of tougher criminal policies.
Mr Merritt suggested the Tories were using his son's death to promote "vile propaganda" and shared a tweet accusing Mr Johnson of trying to "make political gain from people's death in a terror incident".
