London Daily

Focus on the big picture.
Saturday, Aug 22, 2026

London Bridge: What we know so far

A man who stabbed two people to death and wounded three others in a "terror-related" attack was shot dead by police on London Bridge after he was held down by members of the public.

The suspect, Usman Khan, 28, had been released from jail on licence in 2018, half way through a 16-year sentence for terrorism offences.

Cambridge University graduate Jack Merritt, 25, and former student Saskia Jones, 23, were killed in the attack.


The victims

Jack Merritt, studied law at the University of Manchester before going to Cambridge to continue his studies.

Saskia Jones, was from Stratford-upon-Avon, Warwickshire, and both were involved in a university prisoner rehabilitation programme at Cambridge University.

Mr Merritt from Cottenham, Cambridgeshire, was a co-ordinator and Ms Jones a volunteer, the Met Police said.

The family of Ms Jones, paid tribute to her as a "positive influence at the centre of many people's lives".

Earlier on Sunday Prof Stephen Toope, vice-chancellor of the university, said: "I am sad beyond words to report that a course co-ordinator, Jack Merritt, was killed, as was a former student."

They were attacked during a conference being held on Friday afternoon at Fishmongers' Hall, at the north end of London Bridge.

Mr Merritt had a "deep commitment" to the scheme, known as Learning Together, according to people who worked with him.

His father David Merritt said his son was "a beautiful spirit who always took the side of the underdog".

A member of university staff was also among the three people injured.

One of those hurt left hospital on Sunday, and the other two remain in a stable condition, the NHS said.


What happened?

Khan's attack began at 13:58 GMT inside Fishmongers' Hall.

Fishmonger Company chief executive Toby Williamson said staff who fought Khan as he launched his attack believed he was wearing a bomb.

He described the scene inside the hall as a game of "pinball bomb with added knives".

He said one staff member in the hall's reception tried in vain to hold Khan back behind doors while another calmly placed a call to emergency services.

Mr Williamson said two men used chairs, fire extinguishers and narwhal tusks, which were hanging on the wall, to fend off Khan after he broke through the doors, driving him out of the building.

Khan was forced out of Fishmongers' Hall by a group of men - with hall staff joined by participants of the Learning Together conference - said to include ex-prisoners, probation and prison staff.

Two men can be seen in a video holding the attacker back using a whale tusk, seized from a wall mount, and a fire extinguisher spray, before others stepped in to pin him down.

In a second video a man is seen walking away holding a large knife they had retrieved. British Transport Police said later he was a plain clothes officer.

The Metropolitan Police said its armed officers arrived on the scene within five minutes of the initial 999 call.

The people holding Khan down were moved away by the armed police officers after they thought he was wearing a suicide vest under his jacket.

He was then shot by an officer.

The Met's assistant commissioner said the explosive vest which turned out to be a hoax looked "very convincing".


What do we know about the attacker?

Mr Basu said Khan was released from jail in December 2018.

He had been convicted in 2012 after plotting with a group from Stoke-on-Trent, London and Cardiff.

They discussed attacking the London Stock Exchange and pubs in Stoke, and setting up a jihadist training camp in Pakistan.

One of the conditions of his release was that he should wear an electronic tag.

He also had to take part in the government's desistance and disengagement programme, the purpose of which is the rehabilitation of people who have been involved in terrorism. The Parole Board said it had no involvement in his release from jail.

Usman Khan had spent years preaching in Stoke and had links to the banned organisation al-Muhajiroun.


What is happening now?

An urgent review of the licence conditions of people jailed for terror offences has been launched by the Ministry of Justice (MoJ).

It confirmed the number of offenders convicted of terrorism offences who are currently under supervision in the community is 74.

In a Twitter response to Brendan Cox, whose MP wife Jo Cox was murdered, Jack Merritt's father said: "I obviously don't have full facts about the process that led to the attacker being released but what I can say with certainty is that no one at the event had the slightest inkling that he could or would do something like this.

"We don't need knee-jerk reactions."

Prayers have been said at Southwark Cathedral for Jack and the unnamed woman killed.

The Dean, the Very Revd Andrew Nunn, said the incident had brought back memories of the 2017 attack.

Officers have been carrying out two searches; in Stafford where Khan is believed to have lived, and in Stoke-on-Trent.

Mr Basu said police were going through at least 500 images and videos sent to them.

Police patrols across London have been increased as a result of the attack.

The Queen sent "thoughts, prayers and deepest sympathies to all those who have lost loved ones" on behalf of herself and Prince Philip.

Newsletter

Related Articles

0:00
0:00
Close
The rise and fall of Hui Ka Yan, China’s richest man
Woke: Britain Considers Plain Packaging for Cigars as Specialist Shops Warn of Industry Collapse
Britain's Public-Service Productivity Remains Below 2019 as £80 Billion Output Gap Fuels WFH Debate
Mandelson Epstein Case in Jeopardy as U.S. Files Stay Out of Reach
Prince Harry and Six Others Ordered to Pay £9.5 Million After High Court Defeat
Bank of England Holds Interest Rate at 3.75% as Inflation and Energy Risks Persist
UK AI Security Tests Find Autonomous Agent Attempting Malicious Code Injection
UK Economy Grows 0.4% in Second Quarter Amid Global Pressures
UK Joins European Allies in Condemning Israeli Settlement Plans in West Bank E1 Area
Multiple People Killed in A66 Collision Near Middlesbrough Involving Police Vehicle
UK Government Holds First National Day for Victims and Survivors of Terrorism
UK Met Office Warns of Severe Autumn Storms as Strong El Niño Follows Historic Drought
Petrol Bombs Set Luxury Cars Alight Outside Birmingham Wedding as Police Hunt Three Men
Bitcoin Surges Toward $80,000 as Short Squeeze and ETF Inflows Ignite Crypto Rally
Prince Harry and Co-Claimants Ordered to Pay £9.5 Million Toward Daily Mail Publisher’s Legal Costs
Prince Harry and Meghan Markle Reportedly Plan Return to Britain With Their Children
UK Court Ruling Threatens Deportation Plans for Potential Trafficking Victims to Albania
Kemi Badenoch Presses UK Government for Decisions on Rosebank and Jackdaw Oil Fields
UK Foreign Affairs Committee Chair Calls for Ban on Goods from Occupied West Bank
Andy Burnham Government to Place Civil Servants Directly in English Mayoral Offices
Met Office Warns Major El Niño Could Bring Stormier, Wetter Autumn to UK
UK Economy Gains Unexpected Momentum Ahead of Andy Burnham Government’s First Budget
Twenty-Nine US States Take Meta to Trial Over Alleged Child Addiction on Instagram and Facebook
Former Scottish National Party Executive Peter Murrell Jailed for Five Years Over £400,000 Embezzlement
Moderna and Merck's Personalized Cancer Vaccine Succeeds in Historic Late-Stage Melanoma Trial
Prince Harry and Meghan to Move Back to Britain With Their Children
England and Wales Have Fewer Than 1,800 Prison Places Left for Men
Royal Navy to Accelerate DragonFire Laser Deployment Against Growing Drone Threat
Northern Ireland Approves Five Hundred Million Pound Belfast Harbour Expansion
Great British Railways Takes Full Control of Avanti West Coast as Rail Nationalisation Reaches Final Stage
UK AI Safety Institute Calls for Mandatory Security Audits of Advanced AI Models
Scotland Secures Three Billion Pounds for Floating Offshore Wind Hub in Aberdeen
Government Overrides Local Councils to Approve Green Belt Housing Across Southern England
UK and EU Move Toward Mutual Recognition of Food Standards to Ease Cross-Channel Trade
Government Plans Multibillion-Pound Private Healthcare Expansion to Cut NHS Surgical Backlogs
Bank of England Signals Faster Rate Cuts as Inflation Falls Below the Two Percent Target
Suspected People Smuggler Arrested After Investigation Identified Him
Children's Doctors Warn That Vaping Can Lead Young People to Smoking
Hundreds of Thousands of Students Receive GCSE and Vocational Results Across England, Wales and Northern Ireland
Here Is What Can Never Happen in Your Country: Taiwan Is Giving Money to All Its People Because It Collected Too Much Tax
UK Inflation Rises to 2.9% as Energy Bills Jump
UK Issues New Conduct Guide for Asylum Seekers on Consent and Respect
Moderna Shares Surge After Positive Personalized Skin Cancer Trial Results
UK Markets Watch US National Debt Surpass Forty Trillion Dollars
UK Broadcasters Urge Government to Invest in Digital Participation and Broadband
CVC Capital Partners and Standard Life Launch Two Billion Pound Pension Risk Transfer Venture
UK Private Sector Productivity Growth Accelerates in Second Quarter
UK Foreign Secretary Ed Miliband Condemns Israeli E1 Settlement Tender
UK Watchdog Investigates Trainline, Virgin Atlantic and RED Driving School Over Hidden Fees
Prince Harry and Meghan Markle Plan Move to Private Home Outside London
×