British Prime Minister Boris Johnson pledged to cut opportunities for early release of convicted terrorists after one stabbed two people days after being set free.
Police shot and killed Sudesh Amman, 20, on Sunday after he allegedly stabbed two people in London with a stolen 10-inch knife. Amman had been released from prison days earlier after serving half of his original sentence for “Islamist-related terrorism” offenses.
Johnson, who assumed the prime minister role last year, has called for tougher penalties on convicted terrorists in the aftermath of a November terror attack near London Bridge, where a former convict, Usman Khan, killed two people and wounded three more before police killed him. Johnson has pointed to the low chance at successfully deradicalizing such prisoners to bolster his calls for stiffer penalties.
“I think the idea of automatic early release for people who obviously continue to pose a threat to the public has come to the end of its useful life,” Johnson said in a speech Monday. “We do think it’s time to take action to ensure that people, irrespective of the law that we’re bringing in, people in the current stream do not qualify automatically for early release.”
Amman was incarcerated in 2018 after being convicted for spreading violent Islamic propaganda.
In December, West Midlands police arrested convicted terrorist Nazam Hussain, who had obtained early release. The arrest happened after police searched Hussain’s home and found evidence that he was planning a terror attack. Hussain was also found to be serving in the same terror cell as Khan.
Dozens of convicted terrorists have obtained early release from prison in the United Kingdom, which Johnson has blamed on Labour Party policies.
