London’s Metropolitan Police identified the man and woman killed in a terrorist attack near London Bridge in the central part of the city.
Jack Merritt, 25, and Saskia Jones, 23 were both participating in the University of Cambridge’s Learning Together prisoner education event, where Usman Khan launched his fatal stabbing attack.
Merritt was a course coordinator for Learning Together and Jones was a volunteer. The program works to educate prisoners alongside undergraduate university students.
According to police, Khan, 28, was attending the Learning Together event when he began his deadly attack.
Sentenced to prison in 2012 on terrorism charges, Khan was released in December 2018 and was on probation.
According to British media, Khan agreed to wear an electronic monitor.
Several people were injured by Khan’s rampage before members of the public and a plain-clothes British police officer restrained and disarmed Khan on the bridge.
One of the people who stepped in to fight the attacker drove him back by spraying a fire extinguisher at him.
Armed City of London Police arrived a short time later and surrounded the attacker, who was being held down by citizens.
Police pulled the citizens away from the suspect to provide a clear shot, before firing twice at the attacker. Khan died at the scene.
According to Neil Basu, London Police’s counter-terrorism chief, Khan was wearing a “hoax explosive device.” (a fake suicide vest).
As we have seen in the past with ISIS aligned attackers, they often blow themselves up as part of their crimes.
I know you probably think the chances are slim (and hopefully they are), have you ever considered what signs to look for that may tip you off that someone is wearing a suicide vest?
Here are things to keep in mind.
Constantly checking their bag or jacket. When I travel, I usually keep my laptop with me in a backpack or laptop bag.
Of course, since a computer is an expensive item I double check that the bag is secure before I leave my hotel room.
Once I leave though I don’t mess with my bag until I reach my destination.
My point is, someone who may have a bomb in their bag, or under a jacket, will usually constantly fidget or check the bomb.
In other words, if you are sitting next to someone who constantly unzips their bag to check on whatever is inside, this could be a bad sign.
Sweating profusely/licking their lips. If it’s the middle of the summer and you see a man with three layers and a heavy coat, this is obviously out of the ordinary.
Someone wearing a suicide vest is going to want to cover it best they can until they are ready to set it off.
On the other hand, if it’s winter time and a person is sweating profusely, this is also an abnormal behavior.
Another telltale sign of someone that is incredibly nervous is that they will constantly lick their lips.
Of course, these signs don’t 100% mean the person is a terrorist, but they are simply one of many ways to detect someone who may be up to no good.
Check out their legs. Generally, average-sized legs mean average-sized body. Or someone who is heavy-set with a larger stomach, will most likely have larger legs.
What I mean is, if you see someone with average size legs, but a huge midsection, this could be a sign they are trying to conceal something large around their stomach.
Yes, human beings come in all shapes and sizes, but if someone has a huge bulge around their stomach or back, it could be a vest.
In the spy world, we always train to spot abnormalities in the way people act.
While one of these signs may not mean that someone is wearing a suicide vest, when you put them together, it could definitely mean they are up to something.
