London Attacker was Convicted Terrorist with Jihadist Ties

UPDATE — 7:46 PM EST/00:46 GMT: The man who carried out the London Bridge terror attack has been identified as 28-year-old Usman Khan, Metropolitan Police confirm. He was jailed in 2012 as part of a plot to bomb the London Stock Exchange and build a terrorist training camp. He was also believed to have supported al-Muhijaroun, a militant jihadist network in the United Kingdom, reports The Guardian. Read the original article below.

The suspected attacker responsible for Friday’s deadly stabbing in central London was a convicted terrorist who was recently released from prison and believed to possess ties to Islamic extremist groups, according to The Times.

Earlier, a knife-wielding man stabbed several people at London Bridge, killing two and wounding three others. Police shot the suspect dead at the scene. He is said to have worn a fake explosive vest and an electronic prison tag. Prior to the attack, the knifeman threatened to blow up Fishmongers’ Hall, where he was reportedly planning to attend a conference on prisoner rehabilitation organized by the University of Cambridge, reports The Times. Authorities are treating the deadly incident as a terror attack.

Pedestrians and vehicular commuters described the fear they felt and the chaos at the scene. Ulig Bek of Uzbekistan told The Times: “I saw the guy lying on the ground and didn’t know what was going on.”

Flashback: That Time Corey Feldman Warned The View About Hollywood Child Sex Abuse and Was Scolded for It

Nancy Mace proposes bill to make aliens deportable, inadmissible for animal cruelty

WaPo Eats Crow For Reporting White House Didn’t Announce Something Trump Literally Put On Truth Social

DOJ antitrust shake-up reflects effort to define ‘MAGA antitrust’ after Slater exit

Partial government shutdown drags on as DHS funding talks stall

Ken Paxton sues Dallas over alleged failure to fund police as required by Proposition U

Burglary theory in missing Guthrie case ‘ridiculously rare’ says law enforcement source

New Mexico mother accused of drowning newborn in portable toilet after giving birth

California mom convicted after son dies in hot car while mother got lip fillers: ‘Defendant chose her looks’

Department of War transports next-generation reactor in nuclear energy milestone

Schumer says Dems will fight voter ID push ‘tooth and nail,’ balks at DHS role in elections

Hillary Clinton clashes with Czech leader over Trump policies at Munich security conference

Woman allegedly steals bus from elementary school parking lot, goes on late night ride

The one sentence in Rubio’s Munich speech that revealed Trump’s red line for Europe

Campus Radicals Newsletter: Antifa-linked group tells students to mobilize, college students fake disabilities

Bek, who video-recorded shots being fired, added: “The police were shouting at him and he was shouting, ‘Help, help, help’. Everyone was so shook up. Police were screaming, ‘Put it down.’”

Authorities shut off traffic to London Bridge and closed a nearby train station during the incident. They later said that enhanced patrols would be implemented throughout the city during this busy shopping period.

British Prime Minister Boris Johnson said it is a “mistake” to allow criminals to leave prison early and vowed to increased police presence following the “heartbreaking” attack.

“Obviously our thoughts are very much them and their families, their loved ones, everybody affected by the attack,” Johnson told reporters. “My thanks go first of all to the emergency services — the police, for their bravery and their professionalism, and to repeat again and give thanks again to members of the public who put themselves in harm’s way to protect others. I think they represent the best of our country.”

“I thank them on behalf of the rest of our country,” he added.

A NATO official said the alliance is not making any change in plans for next week’s summit in London. President Donald Trump is among those scheduled to attend.