A terrorist who stabbed two people in south London last year had become increasingly violent and radicalized while in prison, where he is reported to have said he “wanted to kill the queen,” an inquest heard on Tuesday.
Sudesh Amman was shot dead by police in February 2020, 10 days after leaving prison on an early release.
Jurors at the central London inquest heard how Amman discussed becoming a suicide bomber and openly expressed his “extreme” views in prison.
After being released in January 2020, Amman, 20, was placed under constant armed surveillance, and there were concerns about his exit from prison.
He went on to injure a man and woman in a sudden knife attack in south London on Feb. 2 last year, before being shot dead by the team that was tracking his movements.
He was sentenced to 40 months in jail for preparing and engaging in acts of terrorism, but he was given an early release on Jan. 23, 2020, which sparked concerns.
The inquest at the Royal Courts of Justice was shown a prison report on Amman that detailed how he had “been shouting different things on the wings such as ‘this place is full of non-believers’ … and ‘everyone here will come under the black flag (the symbol of Daesh)’.”
About a month before he was released on license, prison officers found a note in his cell in which Amman had pledged his allegiance to Daesh.
He also “appeared proud of being the youngest terrorist offender in Belmarsh (prison)” and “didn’t seem remorseful,” the inquest was told.
Leon Campbell, a probation officer, assessed that Amman was a high risk to the public, and that he could cause serious harm “due to his promoting of extremist ideas … and wanting to carry out a terrorist act.”
Jurors were told that a senior officer in London’s Metropolitan Police wrote to the governor of Belmarsh prison on Jan. 15, 2020, to request a delay to Amman’s release.
The request was rejected, with the officer reportedly being told that a delay to Amman’s release was impossible.