ISIS claims responsibility for London Bridge attack involving Pak-linked attacker

ISIS claimed responsibility for the stabbing rampage on the London Bridge, that killed two and injured three seriously. Through their media agency Amaq on December 1, the terror organisation told that the 28-year-old Usman Khan attacked their behalf. "The person who carried out the London attack… was a fighter from the Islamic State, and did so in response to calls to target citizens of coalition countries," ISIS said. However, the London Police reportedly believed that he acted alone. The British national Usman Khan, native from Pakistan was shot and killed by the British armed security. 

Usman Khan, who was wearing a fake suicide vest on London Bridge, has previously served jail-term in 2012 for his role in an Al Qaeda inspired attack, where he was responsible for the plotting to blast London Stock Exchange. The terrorist was released from prison in 2018 on license and was wearing an electronic tag since he pretended to be a reformed jihadist. 

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Usman Khan's Pakistan links 

After being tagged as a "serious jihadist" by UK Courts, Usman Khan had traveled to Pakistan, where he reportedly trained in the FATA area. He lived with his ailing mother in Pakistan. After his return to the UK, Usman Khan engaged in preaching extremism through social media. 

Usman Khan’s details were shared with all policing agencies after London Police found out that he had traveled to Pakistan and was radicalised in the tribal areas. Agencies were informed that the cell had plans to establish and operate a terrorist military training madrassa in Pakistan. The cell had plans of operating in Kashmir. Usman Khan’s family had land in Kashmir where a mosque was already operating. They had plans to establish and recruit for a terrorist military training facility under the cover of a madrassa.

British PM Boris Johnson, who visited the scene at London Bridge on Saturday claimed that he had "long argued" that it was "mistake to allow serious and violent criminals to come out of prison early." "It’s absolutely clear that we can’t carry on with the failed approaches of the past. We simply cannot risk being in the same situation for the next five years where parliament cannot do what’s needed. We need a government that can act," he added, blaming his predecessors --Theresa May and David Cameron. 

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