More people may die in terrorist attacks unless prisoners are managed differently, Fishmongers’ Hall coroner finds

‘Matters of concern’ raised by attack by released terrorist prisoner at rehabilitation event

Tributes to the two victims of the 2019 Fishmongers’ Hall attack (Getty)

More people could be killed in terror attacks if the way authorities manage extremist prisoners is not changed, a coroner has found.

Judge Mark Lucraft QC said the 2019 Fishmongers’ Hall attack, where a released terror offender murdered two people at a rehabilitation event, raised “matters of concern” about procedures in jails, probation services and policing.

“In my opinion, there are risks that future deaths could occur unless action is taken to address those matters,” said a report published on Wednesday.

It contained 22 recommendations to authorities including the Ministry of Justice, National Probation Service and police, following evidence heard at the Fishmongers’ Hall inquests earlier this year.

The report said officials must be more alert to potential dishonesty by released terrorists, and “false compliance” that can see people present as reformed characters while planning atrocities.

Judge Lucraft questioned whether authorities should be empowered to search released terrorists on a “precautionary basis”, after hearing that police and probation officers did not feel able to conduct checks that could have found the terrorist’s knives and fake suicide vest.

The Fishmongers’ Hall stabbing was the first of three consecutive attacks by convicted terror offenders in England.

It was followed by attacks in HMP Whitemoor in January 2020, Streatham in February 2020. The Reading stabbing, in June that year, was committed by a recently-released violent offender.

Inquest jurors found that “omissions and failures” by the authorities charged with managing released terrorist Usman Khan contributed to the deaths of his two victims.

He murdered Jack Merritt, 25, and Saskia Jones, 23, at a prison rehabilitation event 11 months after he was freed following a jail sentence for preparing terrorist acts.

Attendees including ex-offenders fought Khan with makeshift weapons and a narwhal tusk, and chased him onto London Bridge, where he was shot dead by armed police on 29 November 2019.

The inquest jury found “serious deficiencies” in the way Khan was managed following his release from prison, the training given to the staff dealing with him and “missed opportunities” by the security services to share information and guidance.

Jurors concluded that there had been a “blindspot” to the risk Khan posed to the public because he was held up as a “poster boy” for Cambridge University’s Learning Together programme.

They also found faults with the organisation of the event at Fishmongers’ Hall, including a lack of communication between different parties, the failure to complete a risk assessment and “serious deficiencies” in how agencies considered his attendance.

The verdicts sparked Judge Lucraft’s “prevention of future deaths” report, which calls for remedial action to stop mistakes being repeated.

The coroner said that the fact Khan was able to pose as a reformed extremist, and allowed to attend the Learning Together event and enjoy increased freedoms as a result, “gives rise to concern that probation officers may give insufficient regard to instances of dishonesty in self-presentation by extremist offenders”.

He said there was also concern that probation officers may “attach excessive weight” to perceived “compliance” by released terrorists, such as meeting licence conditions and being polite.

“Consideration should be given to training and guidance warning offender managers about placing too much reliance on this feature,” Judge Lucraft said.

Despite being a “high-risk” category A prisoner, Khan had been permitted to join Cambridge University’s Learning Together programme in 2017, which saw him take part in courses alongside students.

Judge Lucraft made a series of recommendations relating to such courses, saying formal risk assessments must be completed and any potential threat arising from “serious offenders being placed in close and continuing contact with young students” should be considered and mitigated.

Jack Merritt, 25, and Saskia Jones, 23, were murdered during the 2019 Fishmongers’ Hall terror attack (Metropolitan Police)

He said prison authorities should ensure information on offenders taking part in courses is shared with providers.

Shortly before Khan was automatically released from prison in December 2018, MI5 received intelligence that he wanted to commit an attack but did not share it with his probation officer.

Judge Lucraft said it was “very unsatisfactory” that the officials directly managing Khan were “entirely ignorant” of intelligence that would have affected their decision-making.

“Every effort should be made to ensure that a situation of this kind does not occur again,” he added.

After he was freed, Khan was monitored by MI5, counter-terror police, probation staff, an electronic tag and a “Mappa” board of public protection agencies.

The inquests heard that none of them detected any intelligence that he was planning the attack, and that surveillance missed Khan purchasing knives and equipment to make a fake suicide vest days before.

Judge Lucraft said that a toxicology report showed Khan had used cocaine shortly before the attack, but police did not know he had obtained drugs.

“It is a concern that a terrorist offender on licence, who was subject both to strict licence conditions and to a priority investigation, could obtain and use Class A drugs without that being detected,” he added.

“Detection would have revealed that Khan was not in fact compliant with his licence conditions, and it would have provided a basis for recalling him to prison.”

Usman Khan at Bank station on his way to Fishmongers’ Hall in London on 29 November 2019

Police and MI5 did not object to him attending a celebration to mark the fifth anniversary of Learning Together at Fishmongers’ Hall, or discuss it as a potential attack risk.

The terrorist was permitted to travel to London from his home in Stafford without an escort, and there were no searches or scanners when he arrived at the venue.

Judge Lucraft’s said officials must not approve a relaxation in restrictions, such as Khan’s ability to travel to London alone, without directly addressing the potential risks.

“This case gives rise to concern that an extremist offender may be permitted to attend an event or venue without there having been proper communication between the probation and police officers responsible for managing the offender and the event organisers or venue hosts,” he said.

West Midlands Police, Staffordshire Police and Cambridge University said they would consider the report and respond to the coroner in due course.

A government spokesperson said: “Our thoughts remain with the family and friends of Saskia Jones and Jack Merritt.

“Since that awful day, the Government has ended the automatic early release of terror offenders, made polygraph tests mandatory for all terrorists on probation and introduced tougher prison sentences for the most dangerous of these offenders.

“A new joint unit including police, prison, probation and MI5 now ensures that intelligence is better shared and we are doubling the number of specialist probation officers supervising terrorists.

“We will now reflect on the coroner’s recommendations as we continue to leave no stone unturned in the fight against terrorism.”