Streatham terrorist Sudesh Amman was fatally shot by police in the neck and abdomen, an inquest was told today.
Amman, 20, was wearing a hoax suicide vest when he was shot dead by armed cops after he stabbed two people in broad daylight on Streatham High Road, south London on February 2.
Moments earlier he had stole a kitchen knife with a 20 centimetre blade from a discount hardware store.
He was subsequently shot by surveillance officers, who were monitoring him, outside a Boots store, the inquest opening at Southwark Coroner’s Court was told.
Streatham terrorist Sudesh Amman was killed after being shot in the neck and abdomen, an inquest has heard
The officers approached Amman and saw what appeared to be a suicide belt strapped around him.
Specialist officers were called in to examine the vest and it was later confirmed to be a hoax device.
Amman had been released a week before after serving half of his sentence of a three years and four months jail sentece for terror offences.
Detective Chief Inspector Matthew Gosling, of the Met’s Counter Terrorism Command, said: ‘On Sunday February 2nd Mr Sudesh Amman was the subject of covert armed surveillance by officers from the Metropolitan Police Service.
‘At 1.22pm he left his approved premises in Streatham and made his way on foot to Streatham High Road via Sunnyhill Road.
‘At 1.56pm Amman entered the ‘Low Price Store’ – a general household and hardware goods store situated at 238 Streatham High Rd, SW16.
‘Approximately 60 seconds after entering the shop Amman grabbed a kitchen knife with a 20cm blade from a display and ran out of the shop pulling the knife from its packaging.
The Independent Office for Police Conduct (IOPC) is investigating how counter-terrorism officers came to shoot the Amman, 20, after he stabbed two bystanders on Streatham High Road on February 2
‘As Amman ran north along Streatham High Rd he used the knife to stab two members of the public near the White Lion public house.
‘Amman continued running in the same direction along Streatham High Road and was subsequently shot by armed surveillance officers at 1.58pm outside Boots the chemist situated at 206 – 208 Streatham High Road.
‘The officers approached Amman and saw what appeared to be a suicide vest strapped around him. Because of this the officers withdrew and specialist officers were called in to examine the vest.
‘The device was later confirmed to be a hoax device. At 3.24pm paramedics pronounced life extinct.’
A post-mortem conducted a day later found Amman died of shock, plus haemorrage caused by gun-shot wounds to the neck and abdomen.
DCI Gosling added: ‘The Metropolitan Police Counter Terrorism Command is leading the investigative response to this terrorist incident and will be responsible for assisting any future Coronial investigation.
‘It’s a wide-ranging investigation with 200 witness statements and viewing hundreds of hours of CCTV.
A graphic shows how the terror attack unfolded on the streets of south London on February 2
‘So far the counter terrorism investigation has found nothing to indicate the involvement of any other person in this attack other than Amman.
‘The Independent Office for Police Conduct, as per their statutory duty, are conducting an independent investigation into the fatal police shooting of Amman and the surrounding circumstances.’
Amanda Spencer, from the IOPC, said the matter will investigate ‘planning and risk assessment, actions of MPS officers regarding use of force, and the MPS response to the threat posed by Amman’.
The investigation is likely to take six to nine months.
Senior Coroner Andrew Harris, said: ‘It seems to me as I’m not collecting any evidence at this point I wish to preserve any eyewitness evidence and give a direction that has already been given by the Met Police.
‘Witnesses must not speak to third parties or give interviews to the press until the inquest has been concluded.
‘Interested persons will include family, individual police officers, the Metropolitan Police Service, the probation service, MAPPA. I will consider whether interested persons should extend to the intelligence services.
‘It may be useful to scope out at the inquest decisions made by the intelligence services but that would touch on matters of national security.
‘In law, coroners are not licensed to access info of that nature. There may be a need for a High Court judge to hear the inquest.’
The family was represented in court by Ferva Butt, who did not object to the inquest going forward once the report by the IOPC has been completed.
In a previous court hearing, North West London College maths and science student Amman told his girlfriend and friend of his hatred for ‘kuffars’, or non-believers.
He would post al-Qaeda propaganda on a family WhatsApp group, showing his siblings as young as 11 to the graphic material.
In one message to his girlfriend, he even encouraged her to behead her own ‘kuffar parents’.