London Bridge Attacker Identified as Convicted Terrorist Usman Khan

Here's what the London Telegraph had to say:

The London Bridge attacker, Usman Khan said he wanted to live his life "as a good citizen of Britain" after he was jailed on terrorism charges in 2012.

Khan,  a convicted terrorist released less than seven years into a 16-year prison sentence for a plot to bomb the London Stock Exchange, had Anjem Choudary’s private mobile phone number stored on his phone at the time of his initial arrest, the Henry Jackson Society has found.

After he was convicted in 2012, Khan asked his lawyer to be enrolled in a programme of deradicalisation to "prove to the authorities" that he was no longer "immature", a letter obtained by ITV shows. 

He said he wanted to "learn Islam and its teachings" through a course run by the Home Office, and "live my life as a good Muslim".

Khan was one of a series of Al-Muhajirounconnected terrorists to be released over a six-month period beginning in the Autumn of 2018.  He was known to have attended a series of Al-Muhajiroun protests and street stalls in the Midlands area prior to his arrest.

Before his conviction for the LSE terror plot,  police had previously raided his home in Tunstall over concerns about his links to Choudary.

CNN confirms the ID as well:

Years before Usman Khan was shot and killed by police after London Bridge stabbing, authorities said he planned to start a "terrorist military training facility."

Khan, 28, was identified as the suspect in Friday's central London attack that left two people dead and three others injured, Metropolitan Police Assistant Commissioner Neil Basu said.

He was released from jail in December 2018 on an ankle monitor after he plead guilty to terrorism charges in 2012.

Here's what we know about the suspect:

He was convicted of terror offenses

Police say Usman Khan, 28, is the suspect in Friday's attack in London.

In 2010, Khan and eight others were arrested in London as part of a major counterterrorism operation. Some of the men were accused of terror charges over an "al Qaeda-inspired plot" to bomb the London Stock Exchange, UK police said at the time.

Khan, originally of Pakistan, admitted to other terror offenses involving fundraising and recruiting for a terrorist military training facility under the guise of a madrassa, or educational institution, on land in Kashmir that was owned by his family, according to court documents from the case.

Authorities said Khan's family land already had a mosque on it and those involved in the plot were looking to infuse the group with cash to "establish and operate a terrorist military training facility," according to a sentencing document.

Khan and another suspect in the case were accused of planning to train people at the facility with the goal of making them "more serious and effective terrorists," the documents said. 

They were accused of attending operational meetings, fundraising and preparing to travel abroad to "engage in training for acts of terrorism," according to the sentencing remarks.

Khan pleaded guilty in 2012 to the charges and he was sentenced to 16 years in prison for his role.

At the time of his sentencing, Deputy Assistant Commissioner Stuart Osborne, the senior national coordinator for counterterrorism, said the operation was one of the most complex counterterrorism operations at the time.

"We had a network of highly dangerous men based in three cities who were working together to plan terrorist attacks in the UK," Osborne said. "Had we not taken action to disrupt this network, their actions could have resulted in serious casualties or fatalities."

During the investigation in 2010, nearly 1,000 police officers were involved in the operation, which involved monitoring the men in Staffordshire, Wales and London, Osborne said. National counterterrorism forces and security services were involved in the operation.

Khan was released from prison in 2018 with an ankle monitor, police said.

Before Friday's attack, he was residing in the Staffordshire area of England, about 150 miles north west of London, authorities said.

And from the BBC:

The man who carried out the stab attack at London Bridge on Friday, named by police as Usman Khan, had previously been jailed for terrorism offences.

Khan, 28, was wearing a GPS police tag and was out of prison on licence when he launched his attack, in which a man and a woman were killed and three others were injured.

Khan was shot dead by officers after members of the public restrained him.

The Queen said she was "saddened" by the attack.

She thanked the emergency services "as well as the brave individuals who put their own lives at risk to selflessly help and protect others".

Police declared the attack a terrorist incident.

Khan was known to the authorities, having been convicted for terrorism offences in 2012. He was released from prison on licence in December 2018, Met Police Assistant Commissioner Neil Basu said.

As part of his release conditions, Khan was obliged 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 the 28-year-old's release, saying he "appears to have been released automatically on licence (as required by law)".

After leaving prison he had moved into a Stafford property on the "approved premises" list.

Prisoner rehabilitation 

The attack began at 13:58 GMT on Friday at Fishmongers' Hall, at the north end of London Bridge, at a Cambridge University conference on prisoner rehabilitation.

The Learning Together scheme, which featured in the BBC's Law in Action programme earlier this year, allows university students and prisoners to study alongside each other.

Khan had been one of dozens of people at the event.