London knife attack: Boris Johnson commits to reviewing anticipated releases

"When people are sentenced to a certain number of years in prison, they should serve this sentence every year," British Prime Minister Boris Johnson said on Saturday (November 30th) after visiting the scene. the knife attack that occurred the day before in London.

The latter has committed to reviewing the system of early releases, following the attack that killed two people. The assailant was a former convict convicted of terrorism, who was on parole.

Today I visited London Bridge to thank police officers and first responders following yesterday's tragic attack. pic.twitter.com/2AkAk8191t

"It makes no sense for our society to early release people who have been convicted of terrorist offenses, violent crimes," Boris Johnson continued. "I've been saying for a long time that this system just does not work."

The Prime Minister, who suspended his campaign after the attack, which came less than two weeks before the December 12 parliamentary elections, also called for stiffer penalties for violent offenses.

He assured that the cases of other early-release terrorists were reviewed, adding: "A lot of work is being done right now to make sure the public is protected."

The assailant, a British national who allegedly acted alone, was identified by police as Usman Khan, 28, sentenced in 2012 for terrorist offenses and released on parole six years later.

"After any such event, there must be - and there is always - a thorough assessment and an attempt to draw lessons," Secretary of State for Security Brandon Lewis said on the BBC.

"Life sentence"

In a statement, the parole board said it was not "involved" in the release of the suspect "who appears to have been automatically released under conditions as required by law."

"There are big questions that need to be answered," said Sadiq Khan, Mayor of London and Labor Party member, on Sky News. "One of the important tools that judges could use to deal with dangerous criminals and protect the public was life sentences," he said. "It was taken away by this government."

The assailant was attending a conference Friday at the University of Cambridge on the rehabilitation of prisoners in Fishmongers' Hall, a building on the north end of the London Bridge where the attack began.

But, enough to feed the debate, the agency AP said Saturday that almost all these "heroes" were convicts invited to the conference, including James Ford, sentenced in 2004 to life with a minimum of 15 years imprisonment for have slit without a mobile a young woman of 21 years.

With AFP