Attacker on London Bridge was told to target western countries: IS

London, Ta. December 1, 2019, Sunday

ISIS has claimed responsibility for Friday's knife-wielding terror attack on London's historic bridge. Two civilians were killed and three people were injured in the attack while Usman Khan, a Pakistani-based attacker, was killed in a police shooting.

The team that killed the assailant was led by Neil Basu, an Indian-origin British citizen and Assistant Commissioner, Counter Terrorism Policing, Scotland Yard.

"The man who attacked London's historic bridge was a fighter from the Islamic State and was tasked with targeting the citizens of the Western countries who fought against us," ISIS said in a statement, which was involved in several terrorist events globally.

Usman Khan, 28, attacked civilians with a knife on London's historic bridge on Friday. He stabbed about five people, killing two and injuring three. However, as soon as the information was received, the British Anti Terrorist Police reached there and killed Usman Khan within five minutes.

Assistant Commissioner Neil Basu, chief of Counter Terrorism Policing for Scotland Yard, said that as part of the vigilance, the seizure of artillery and unarmed policemen has been increased throughout London. During the weekend, people experienced a surge in Metropolitan, London City and British Transport Police seizures.

He added that British citizens have rejected the terrorist ideology and people of every religion have come forward to demand that people who want to divide us never succeed.

Usman Khan's childhood was spent in Pakistan, where he lived with his mother. He returned to Britain after his mother's death. Osman Khan was the youngest of nine members of the Islamic fundamentalist group to be punished in 2012 for attacks on the London Stock Exchange and the US Embassy as well as conspiring to target some VIPs, including London's then mayor Boris Johnson. He was sentenced to eight years by a judge for being a "serious jihadist".