Fishmongers' Hall: Probation 'unaware of MI5 probe into Usman Khan'

The probation officer for the Fishmongers' Hall attacker did not know MI5 were investigating the recently released terrorist, a court heard.

Usman Khan, 28, killed Saskia Jones and Jack Merritt at a prisoner education event at the London venue in November 2019.

MI5 had upgraded Khan's potential risk when he left prison, a jury heard.

Ken Skelton told an inquest that the information "would have had a huge impact upon his decision-making".

Khan was released as a high-risk category A offender in December 2018, having spent eight years in jail for plotting a jihadist terror camp in his parents' homeland of Pakistan.

He was invited to attend the Fishmongers' Hall event as he was perceived a "success story" of the Learning Together programmes he enrolled in while in custody.

But the Security Service was concerned Khan had been continuing to radicalise other prisoners, and had launched an "open priority investigation".

Mr Skelton told jurors at London's Guildhall if he had known of MI5's concerns "the whole management process would have altered".

He said he had not even been aware that MI5 were present at MAPPA (Multi Agency Public Protection Arrangements) meetings that he had attended.

Mr Skelton was told by Nick Armstrong, the barrister representing Jack Merritt's family, that an intelligence analyst had concluded that Khan was "quite calculating in his behaviour".

Asked if it was disappointing that this had not been shared with him, Mr Skelton said: "Definitely."

Mr Skelton authorised Khan's trip from Stafford to London's Fishmongers' Hall where the attack took place, the inquests heard.

But the officer insisted that the decision was signed off by the MAPPA panel.

Jurors also heard from a theological mentor assigned to Khan, who said his role was to assess the Islamic mindset of prisoners and try to move them away from extremism.

The witness, who has been granted anonymity, first met Khan in April 2019 following his release from prison.

During their first meeting, Khan said he had spoken to radical Muslim cleric Abu Hamza and been told off by him for using "dirty" language.

The witness said: "This caused me to raise eyebrows. He said he had perhaps been seeking to gain points in Abu Hamza's book when he first met him.

"He said at that time he was disappointed in Abu Hamza and thought he mellowed out or lost his edge.

"But he realised in hindsight that someone as entrenched as Abu Hamza had changed his opinions."

Khan went into a toilet cubicle during a break at Fishmongers' Hall and strapped two kitchen knives to his hands before lunching a stabbing attack.

Ms Jones, 23, and Mr Merritt, 25, died from their injuries, while three others were wounded.

Three people armed with a fire extinguisher and a narwhal tusk chased Khan from the building.

Khan, who was wearing a fake suicide belt, was then shot dead by police on nearby London Bridge.

The inquests continue.