Streatham terrorist freed from prison despite fears he would launch attack, inquest told

A homegrown terrorist was freed from prison despite concerns he still had extremist views and fears he planned to launch an attack, his inquest has heard.

Police were so concerned about 20-year-old Sudesh Amman’s apparently unrepentant behaviour in Belmarsh in south-east London that they asked the prison governor not to release him.

Amman believed he had gained “celebrity status as the result of being a convicted terrorist”, the inquest at the Royal Courts of Justice heard.

The request to keep Amman in prison was turned down because the offence he was jailed for could not justify an extension of his sentence.

Amman was subsequently released and was under 24-hour surveillance when he ran into a shop, stole a kitchen knife, then went on a 62-second rampage along Streatham High Road in south London on February 2 2020.

He stabbed and injured two passers-by before he was shot and killed by armed police a minute later, while wearing a fake suicide vest.

Giving evidence at the inquest, Detective Superintendent Dominic Murphy said Amman was arrested in May 2018 on suspicion of preparing and engaging in acts of terrorism resulting from a Metropolitan Police investigation.

He was subsequently jailed for 40 months and was automatically released on January 23 2020, two-thirds of the way through his sentence.

Mr Murphy told the inquest that a search of Amman’s prison cell previously found some hand-written notes in Arabic that “appeared to show loyalty” to so-called Islamic State.

He also made a troubling comment to another prisoner in the days before his release into the community, the inquest heard.

Mr Murphy said: “He told another prisoner he was ‘not finished with these non-believers yet’, which was a direct quote.”

He also said Amman believed he had gained “celebrity status as the result of being a convicted terrorist”.

Upon release, Amman was under day-time surveillance by plain clothes officers between January 24 and 28 amid concerns he might commit another offence, and on January 29 a decision was made to allow those officers to carry firearms.

Mr Murphy said surveillance operations were stepped up two days later after Amman was seen entering a number of shops and making “suspicious” purchases in Poundland, including a roll of brown tape, aluminium foil and some bottles of Irn-Bru.

Mr Murphy said: “We have, through experience on previous incidents, (found) that people have made fake suicide vests with similar purchases.”

Inquest jurors were shown images of Amman on the afternoon he struck, wearing a camouflage jacket and a red hood and a beanie hat, with grey traditional dress underneath his jacket.

He was carrying a white JD Sports bag across his torso.

Mr Murphy said Amman was under surveillance by nine officers on the afternoon of the attack – with one officer on a motorcycle, some in cars, and some on foot.

He added: “The officers reported he was walking very slowly, apparently aimlessly.”

Resuming after the lunch interval, Mr Murphy told the inquest that Amman stabbed two people shortly after leaving Low Price Store with the stolen knife.

Mr Murphy said: “He (Amman) stabbed the first victim, the female victim, striking her in the back with the knife.

“Shortly after that, he strikes a second victim, a male pedestrian. This male is stabbed in the torso.”

He said both incidents happened “within seconds” of leaving Low Price Store.

Mr Murphy said a surveillance officer, known only as BX75 to protect his identity, then challenged Amman and fired a shot at him.

However, the shot “did not seem to have an impact” on Amman and instead struck a shop window, which shattered and hit a woman stood nearby.

After exiting the shop, Amman ran north up Streatham High Road past Argos, Peacock and Holland and Barrett, pursued by officers BX87 and BX75, said Mr Murphy.

Jurors were shown still images, taken from CCTV footage, of both officers with their arms raised “in firing position”.

Mr Murphy added that Amman had stopped outside Boots and turned to face both officers before moving towards them.

“Both were shouting at him to drop the knife and, having received no response, both officers opened fire on him.

“One officer fired three shots and one officer fired two shots.”

He said that officer BX87 had fired three shots and officer BX75 had fired two shots.

“He fell to the floor as a result of the shots being fired and the knife was then kicked out of his reach by surveillance officer BX87,” said Mr Murphy.

Mr Murphy said it appeared that Amman was carrying “canisters” around his waist at the time and officers feared it might be an improvised explosive device (IED), so they withdrew from the scene.

A police explosives expert arrived on the scene at 2.40pm to check the device, which was identified as a hoax.

He was pronounced dead by a paramedic at 3.24pm, once the scene had been declared safe.

The coroner, High Court judge Mr Justice Hilliard, said an anonymous surveillance officer gave chase after Amman grabbed a 20cm kitchen knife from a shop display and ran with it along the high street at around 1.57pm.

Mr Justice Hilliard said Amman, who is originally from Coventry and of Sri Lankan descent, then began stabbing members of the public.

The coroner said: “As he ran and within a few seconds, Amman stabbed a lady in the back outside the White Lion public house.

“A few seconds later while still running, he stabbed a man by Cash Converters, in the right side of his torso.”

Mr Justice Hilliard said a second officer also joined the pursuit of Amman and shot at him.

The shot shattered a shop window, and Amman turned to face the two officers while still holding the knife, during which both officers opened fire.

The inquest jury heard Amman suffered wounds in the neck and abdomen, and was pronounced dead at 3.24pm.

The coroner warned inquest jurors that some of the evidence may be graphic in nature.

The inquest is due to last for three weeks.