Islamic State group claims responsibility for London Streatham knife attack

"The perpetrator of the attack in Streatham district in south London yesterday is a fighter of Islamic State, and carried out the attack in response to calls to attack the citizens of coalition countries," a statement released by the militant group's AMAQ via Telegram said.

The statement gave no evidence to back the claim.

British police on Monday identified the perpetrator of the London attack as 20-year-old Sudesh Amman, a convicted terrorist who was granted early release from prison in January. Amman, who was wearing a fake suicide vest, was shot on a busy road in south London after attacking two people with a knife.

Amman was jailed for three years and four months in December 2018 for 13 separate offences. He had been arrested in London in May 2018 on suspicion of planning a terrorist attack.

He was also known to have shared al-Qaeda-related material and encouraged his girlfriend to behead her parents.

Speaking after a meeting with EU officials on Monday, UK Prime Minister Boris Johnson said that there needs to be
"fundamental changes to the system for dealing with those convicted of terrorism offences".

London Mayor Sadiq Khan, however, hit out at the prime minister over his alleged failure to step up security measures following the terror attack at London Bridge in November.

"These were men convicted of terrorist related offences and I have been frustrated for some time about changes to the law in 2012 which took away from judges the power they used to have to give a sentence to protect the public - an indeterminate sentence - and to make sure people weren't released unless we knew they were no longer a danger," Khan said in an interview with BBC Radio 4's Today programme.

"I'm angry because some of the reassurances we were given by the government in November haven't been realised," he added.

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