By Ahmet Gurhan Kartal
LONDON (AA): A man was shot dead by plain-clothes police officers who were following him in South London after stabbing several people on Sunday, British police said in a statement.
The Metropolitan Police said in a statement that two people had been stabbed in Streatham High Road, Lambeth at approximately 2.00 p.m. (1400GMT).
“As part of a proactive counter-terrorism operation, armed officers were in immediate attendance and shot a male suspect, who was pronounced dead at the scene,” Lucy D’Orsi, deputy assistant commissioner.
She said a third person also received minor injuries during the incident.
“The circumstances are being assessed; the incident has been declared as terrorist-related,” an earlier statement from Metropolitan Police said.
A device found strapped to the body of the suspect was discovered to “a hoax device,” D’Orsi added.
One man is being treated for a life-threatening injury, according to the statement, with two women also receiving medical treatment, one with a non-serious injury and another with minor injuries.
The attacker, named as Sudesh Amman, was under active police surveillance, and was well-known to counter-terror authorities, had been released from prison only few days ago.
“Thank you to all emergency services responding to the incident in Streatham, which the police have now declared as terrorism-related,” Prime Minister Boris Johnson said on Twitter.
“My thoughts are with the injured and all those affected,” he said.
Leader of the Labour Party, Jeremy Corbyn, tweeted: “My thoughts go out to those injured and affected by the incident in Streatham. I would like to thank the police and emergency services for their dedication and quick response.”
Mayor of London, Sadiq Khan tweeted that “I want to thank our police, security and emergency services staff for their swift and courageous response. They truly are the best of us.
“Terrorists seek to divide us and to destroy our way of life. Here in London we will never let them succeed.”
The terrorism threat level in the U.K. has been “substantial” since November 2019.
The incident came just over a month after a similar attack at the London Bridge.
Usman Khan, 28, was shot dead by the police after stabbing two people near the bridge in November, shortly after the terror threat level was reduced from severe to substantial.
Khan was a terrorism convict who was released from prison and was attending a rehabilitation conference during the incident.
Additional report by The Muslim News
[Photo: Police emergency services seen at the site of an incident after a man has been shot dead by police in South London following stabbing several people at a street in Streatham, London, Britain on February 02, 2020. Photographer: İlyas Tayfun Salcı/AA]
