The Papers: \'Terror returns to London\' and \'freed for rampage\'

Newspaper headlines: 'Terror returns to London' and 'freed for rampage'

By BBC News Staff
Guardian 3 February 2020
Image caption The man who stabbed two people on a south London high street on Sunday left prison just days ago after serving time for terror offences, the Guardian reports. The paper says Sudesh Amman was said to have a "fascination with dying in the name of terrorism". He was jailed in December 2018 and freed in January, the paper adds. Sunday's attack has been declared as an Islamist-related terrorist incident.
Daily Star 3 February 2020
Image caption "Freed to go on rampage" says the Daily Star as it reports armed police shot Sudesh Amman dead on Streatham High Road seconds after he launched his attack. The paper claims Amman used a stolen £3.99 kitchen knife which he took from a high-street store.
Daily Express 3 February 2020
Image caption The Daily Express leads with the same story and notes how Whitehall sources have confirmed Amman was freed just last week after serving half his sentence for distributing extremist material.
i paper 3 February 2020
Image caption Concerns were raised about the Streatham attacker's conduct in prison, the i reports. The paper says the 20-year-old was under surveillance but shot dead after his rampage on Sunday.
The Times 3 February 2020
Image caption "Terror returns to streets of London" says the Times, which reports how the Streatham attacker was under surveillance by MI5. The paper says the attacker - Sudesh Amman - kept a notebook in which he wrote one of his goals in life was to "die as a shuhada" - or martyr.
Financial Times 3 February 2020
Image caption In other news, the Financial Times reports that car giant Nissan is drawing up plans to move its entire European operations into Britain if Brexit leads to tariffs with the EU. The paper cites sources as saying a contingency predicts the Japanese company could undercut rivals through the move - as the cost of its cars to UK buyers would be cheaper than other makes manufactured in the EU.

Monday's front pages feature dramatic pictures of armed police confronting and shooting dead the man who stabbed two people in Streatham, south London, on Sunday.

The Guardian says the 20-year-old suspect Sudesh Amman had previously been noted by police as having a "fascination with dying in the name of terrorism".

The Times claims he kept a notebook in which he wrote that his goal in life was to die as a martyr. Several papers - such as the Daily Telegraph, the Daily Mail and the Daily Mirror - show Amman's body lying on the pavement, while others blur the image.

Image copyright Getty Images

The Telegraph says the stabbings will raise questions about how someone apparently under 24-hour surveillance after being released from prison was able to attack innocent people in the middle of the day on a busy high street.

"Why did they let him out?" asks the Mail's main headline. The paper says the attack shows the "sheer lunacy of early release" and represents a failure in the government's duty to protect its citizens.

The HuffPost UK website says a group that combats extremism warned in December that Sudesh Amman should not be allowed out of jail.

An article in the Sun - based on evidence that emerged at his original trial - describes Amman as an IS fanatic who hoarded terror guides and planned bomb and acid attacks. The Mail calls him a "maniac" who advocated beheadings and killing non-believers.

'The hangover'

"After the party, the hangover" is how the Times sums up the mood as Britain begins its first week outside the European Union. It says both sides are already sounding irritable as they set out their positions for the forthcoming trade talks.

The Telegraph says the gloves have come off as Brussels seeks to make clear that the UK's departure has consequences. The Sun accuses EU officials of "dirty tactics" and of "shamelessly back peddling" on its promise to consider a Canada-style free trade agreement with Britain.

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According to the Times, more than 120,000 people acquitted of serious crimes over the past four years have been left out of pocket because of cuts to legal aid.

The paper says a cap limiting how much of their costs defendants can claim back means those found not guilty can be landed with a bill for thousands of pounds. Justice campaigners have described the charge as "the innocence tax".

Vivaldi axed

Finally, Vivaldi's Four Seasons may be one of the most popular pieces of classical music, but it will no longer be the soundtrack to millions of people's frustrated interactions with welfare bureaucracy.

The Guardian says the Department for Work and Pensions has decided after more than a decade to ditch a 30-second loop of the Spring section as the on-hold music for its telephone helplines.

Officials say they've dropped the track after discovering that some callers found its repetitiveness disturbing and made them anxious.