One of the men responsible for Saturday’s terror attack in London previously appeared in a 2016 BBC documentary titled “The Jihadis Next Door” and was known to authorities.
The Metropolitan Police confirmed Monday the identities of two men involved in last weekend’s massacre near London Bridge, which killed at least seven and wounded dozens of others. Khuram Shazad Butt, 27, and Rachid Redouane, 30, were both shot and killed by police after mowing down victims with a vehicle and stabbing others.
A third suspect who was shot and killed by officers has not been identified.
“Butt, who neighbors say was the attacker who wore the fake suicide vest during the vehicle and stabbing attack, was featured in a recent documentary on the British Channel 4 from 2016 called ’The Jihadist [sic] Next Door,’” ABC News reported Monday.
Both men were followers of British radical cleric Anjem Choudary, who wrote an op-ed for USA Today in January 2015 stating that free speech is not permitted in Islam.
“Contrary to popular misconception, Islam does not mean peace but rather means submission to the commands of Allah alone,” the cleric wrote. “Therefore, Muslims do not believe in the concept of freedom of expression, as their speech and actions are determined by divine revelation and not based on people’s desires.”
SEE ALSO: Anjem Choudary, British radical cleric: ‘Muslims do not believe’ in freedom of speech
The network reported that Mr. Butt’s scene involved him praying with peers in front of a black flag.
“They are shown being confronted by police, and according to the documentary, were detained for an hour and were released without any charges,” ABC reported.
The Metropolitan Police said in a statement on Monday that 12 individuals have been taken into custody and questioned as a result of an ongoing investigation.
“One of the [five] arrested men and one of the [seven] women were subsequently released,” the statement read.
• Douglas Ernst can be reached at dernst@washingtontimes.com.
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