Fishmongers' Hall: Usman Khan described education project as 'kind of family'

Saskia Jones and Jack Merritt were killed by Usman Khan during a conference on rehabilitating offenders

A convicted terrorist described an educational project as a "kind of family", eight months before he killed two of its members during a conference.

Usman Khan stabbed Learning Together delegates Jack Merritt and Saskia Jones at Fishmongers' Hall, London Bridge, in November 2019.

The inquests into their deaths were shown a video in which Khan praised the project for "accepting people".

He said it was "working together for the betterment of us all".

The scheme, which brings together offenders and people from higher education to study alongside each other, is based at the University of Cambridge, and the conference was arranged as a fifth-anniversary party.

Khan had become involved in Learning Together while in prison serving a sentence for terror offences.

Jurors at the inquests at London's Guildhall were shown footage of a "thank you" message for the programme recorded at his home in Stafford, where he lived after his release from prison in December 2018.

Jurors were shown a video message Khan recorded months before killing Jack Merritt and Saskia Jones

In the clip, Khan grinned and said: "Hi, my name is Usman, and basically I'm gonna explain to you how I got to do Learning Together."

He described how doing creative writing - a course he would later study with Learning Together while in category A Whitemoor Prison - had really helped him, having had "no TV, no social situations" during his time in isolation.

Khan said: "I could express myself, in a way nobody can stop you.

"But what was different about Learning Together was breaking the barriers, accepting people for who they are."

He added: "There has to be an understanding. Learning Together is working together for the betterment of us all.

"It was also Learning Together - it was kind of family... It is making a difference, and I cannot stress that enough.

"It let out my personality, I am comfortable with who I am."

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Khan then read a short poem he wrote, called In The Darkness, which included the line: "A single seed planted in mud becomes a strong tree."

Jurors have been told that there was intelligence suggesting that Khan was possibly planning an attack and that he had been involved in radicalising others in prison.

Khan sat at the same table as Saskia Jones before the knife attack

Learning Together co-founder Dr Ruth Armstrong wept as she told the inquests that the programme had never received any such information.

"We had absolutely no indication of any concerns regarding Usman Khan and if we had of course would have made different decisions," she said.

"My expectation is a decision would have been made to remove him."

'Abject lack of hope'

Jurors were also shown emails sent by Dr Armstrong in the aftermath of the attack.

In one dated 1 December 2019, sent to a bishop, she wrote: "Usman was a valued member of our community and we want to understand why his desire to die (which makes absolute sense in the abject lack of much hope and good in his life) played out in this way, and how we could work together to support people better as they [move] out of prison".

Lisa Ghiggini, an administrator with Learning Together gave evidence about her contact with Khan after he left prison.

She said that Khan told her about conversations he had with the notorious prisoner Charles Bronson.

Khan said Bronson advised him that "if you're going to do something just do it", Ms Ghiggini told the jury.

Asked by Henry Pitchers QC, representing the family of Ms Jones, when Khan had disclosed this, she said: "in the two weeks before the attack".

The inquests also heard that Ms Ghiggini had at one stage asked Jack Merritt if Khan mentioning a "flower moving in winter" in one of his poems could be a reference to a bomb.

She said Mr Merritt, in response, told her that Khan had been "de-radicalised" by someone called Choudhury.

After his rampage at Fishmonger's Hall, Khan was chased on to London Bridge by fellow attendees, including a serving and former offender, before he was shot dead by police.

The inquest hearing continues.