London knife attack

This item appears on page 19 of the January 2020 issue.

A man armed with a knife stabbed multiple people in London on Nov. 30, killing two at a conference at Fishmongers’ Hall before running onto London Bridge, where he was restrained and disarmed by members of the public. The man was shot and killed by police, who were concerned about what appeared to be a bomb vest he was wearing. It turned out to be fake. 

The man was identified as a person who had been imprisoned in 2012 for plotting terrorist acts. He served less than half of a 16-year sentence, which included participation in a deradicalization program, before being released in 2018. The conference he attacked was being held to promote the rehabilitation of former prisoners. It was not known, at press time, whether the attacker was an attendee of the conference.