The brother of a terrorist who killed three people in a park in Reading rang police the day before the attack, warning he “could harm himself or others”, an inquest has been told.
Khairi Saadallah stabbed to death three men who were meeting in Forbury Gardens, during a brief relaxation in lockdown rules in the middle of the COVID-19 pandemic.
James Furlong, Joseph Ritchie-Bennett and David Wails were killed and three others injured during a 30-second rampage on 20 June 2020.
Saadallah, who was handed a whole life tariff in 2021, had viewed material on the September 11 attacks and was heard yelling “Allahu Akbar” [god is great] and “God accept my jihad”.
At an inquest into the deaths, Saadallah’s brother, Aiman, said Saadallah had visited him on the afternoon before the attack and told him he had “left me something to remember him by”.
“He asked if he could have a shower and asked me for a prayer mat. Instead of praying he had a joint,” he said in a statement.
“He told me about a movie scene in which he was surrounded by jihadists with a bomb strapped to his chest. He said he was going to heaven and there were virgins there waiting for him.
“I said it was not funny. I lost patience and went upstairs.”
Later, Aiman, a care worker in his mid-30s, said Saadallah showed an “immediate change to an angry man”, adding: “I had never seen him like this before.” The brothers had lived together for around a year.
Aiman added: “I rang the police and said he could harm himself or others although I did not believe he would hurt others.”
Officers visited Saadallah that evening but he dismissed concerns about him, the inquest heard.
After the attack, Aiman found that Saadallah had used razor blades to shave off his body hair when he had a shower, described by police as part of a “ritual cleansing”.
James Furlong (L), Joe Ritchie-Bennett (C) and David Wails (R) were killed during Saadallah’s 30-second rampage in 2020
‘Boy soldier’
Michael Haynes, a counsellor who worked with Saadallah on drug, alcohol and mental health issues, said he had struggled to get help for Saadallah.
He said Saadallah described himself as a “boy soldier” who had fought in the Libyan civil war against Colonel Gaddafi in 2011.
In a statement, Mr Haynes told the inquest: “He calls himself a boy soldier. I don’t know how old he was, but probably 15 years old.
“He drove trucks, he saw lots of death, and when Colonel Gaddafi was ousted these people turned out to be Muslim fundamentalists.
“Because Khairi didn’t grow his beard and all the rest of it, they started picking on him. He got an electric shock, tortured and a bloke firing in a darkened room where Khairi was and other stuff.”
Read more on Sky News:
Iran’s supreme leader sends message to Middle East
Ukrainian tennis player investigated over handshake
Saadallah arrived in Britain in around 2015, claiming asylum, and lived initially in Manchester where he suffered from mental health problems, became homeless and got involved with a Somalian gang who attacked him with hammers, leaving scars on his head.
His father was an antiques dealer who was said to be very successful and “had a lot of money” until he fell out with the Gaddafi regime.
His mother was described as a doctor, possibly a psychiatrist, but the couple had split up and lived in different cities in Libya.
The suspended surgeon at Addenbrooke’s Hospital in Cambridge has been named as paediatric consultant Kuldeep Stohr.
Eight hundred patients operated on by Ms Stohr are having their cases urgently re-examined, after an external review found nine children whose care fell below expected standards.
The initial review was ordered after concerns were raised by her colleagues.
Sky News has seen a copy of the interim report which details several issues relating to complex hip surgeries performed by the surgeon.
One of the parents whose child was identified in the review showed us a recent letter from the hospital which reported “problems with both judgement and technique” in her child’s surgery.
Ms Stohr, who has been suspended since the end of January, said in a statement: “I always strive to provide the highest standards of care to all my patients.
“I am co-operating fully with the trust investigation and it would not be appropriate to comment further at this time.”
Tammy Harrison: ‘It was hell’
Left in agonising pain
Tammy Harrison, 12, has cerebral palsy and had surgeries carried out by Ms Stohr. Her operations didn’t work, leaving her in agonising pain.
She said: “My first one was just like trauma. I couldn’t get out of bed for eight weeks. I was either stuck in bed or stuck on the sofa. It was hell.”
Her mum, Lynn, told Sky News: “There is nothing that can put Tammy back to where she was now and that’s the sad thing.
“If I could just click my fingers and have the child back that I had I would do it with a blink of an eye.”
Ms Stohr operated on Lynn Harrison’s daughter
So far, there’s been no confirmation of any wrongdoing in Tammy’s care.
But her family have a meeting at the hospital this week to find out more.
Read more from Sky News:
Who are the two MPs deported by Israel?
Father and daughter who died in caravan park fire named
The trust has asked a panel of specialist clinicians to review all the planned operations carried out by Ms Stohr at Addenbrooke’s. One hundred emergency trauma cases will also be looked at.
Addenbrooke’s is a major regional trauma centre and treats serious emergency patients from all over the region.
One clinician at the hospital told Sky News that the review of so many patients was “creating a lot of extra work”, which was “slowing things down” for other patients awaiting treatment.
Addenbrooke’s Hospital. File pic: PA
At least one extra locum consultant has been helping the team, as they work through the caseload.
Trust apologises
Sky News has been told Cambridge University Hospitals Trust had wanted to identify Ms Stohr before but had been threatened with a legal injunction.
The trust has apologised unreservedly to families and patients. But what’s troubling many is the fact concerns were raised about Ms Stohr a decade ago.
Chief executive of Cambridge University Hospitals Trust, Roland Sinker, has set up another review to examine whether opportunities were missed, and action could have been taken sooner.
The Department of Health described the ongoing situation as “incredibly concerning.”
Sir Keir Starmer promised “bold changes” as he announced he will relax rules around electric vehicles after carmakers were hit by Donald Trump’s tariffs.
The prime minister said “global trade is being transformed” after the US president‘s 25% levy on imported cars, and 10% tariff on other products, came into force.
Jaguar Land Rover has said the firm will “pause” shipments to the US as it looks to “address the new trading terms”.
Trump adviser explains why tariffs put on island inhabited only by penguins
Labour made a manifesto pledge to restore a 2030 ban on the sale of new petrol and diesel cars after it had been rolled back to 2035 by Rishi Sunak’s Conservative government.
Starmer promises to ‘back British business’. Pic: Reuters
Sir Keir will officially confirm the ban in an announcement on Monday but regulations around manufacturing targets on electric cars and vans will be altered, to help firms in the transition.
Luxury supercar firms such as Aston Martin and McLaren will still be allowed to keep producing petrol cars beyond the 2030 date, because they only manufacture a small number of vehicles per year.
Please use Chrome browser for a more accessible video player
‘Nothing off the table’ over tariffs
Petrol and diesel vans will also be allowed to be sold until 2035, along with hybrids and plug-in hybrid cars.
The government is also going to make it easier for manufacturers who do not comply with the government’s Zero Emission Vehicle (ZEV) mandate, which sets sales targets, to avoid fines, and the levies will be reduced.
Sir Keir said: “I am determined to back British brilliance.
“Now more than ever UK businesses and working people need a government that steps up, not stands aside.
“That means action, not words.”
Officials have said support for the car industry will continue to be kept under review as the full impact of the tariffs announced last week becomes clear.
Transport Secretary Heidi Alexander said the industry deserves “clarity” in the economic context.
She said: “Our ambitious package of strengthening reforms will protect and create jobs, making the UK a global automotive leader in the switch to EVs, all the while meeting our core manifesto commitment to phase out petrol and diesel vehicles by 2030.”
Read more:
Starmer pledges to shelter UK business from tariff storm
Jaguar Land Rover decision sparks anxiety in car-making hub
Mike Hawes, chief executive of the Society of Motor Manufacturers and Traders, said the government had “recognised the intense pressure manufacturers are under”, while Colin Walker, a transport analyst at the Energy and Climate Intelligence Unit, said the ZEV mandate is a “global success story” in driving a surge in sales of electric vehicles.
It comes as KPMG warned US tariffs on UK exports could see GDP growth fall to 0.8% in 2025 and 2026.
The accountancy firm said higher tariffs on specific categories, such as cars, aluminium and steel, would more than offset the exemption on pharmaceutical exports, leaving the effective tariffs imposed on UK exports at around 12%.
Yael Selfin, chief economist at KPMG UK, said: “Given the economic impact that tariffs would cause, there is a strong incentive to seek a negotiated settlement that diminishes the need for tariffs. The UK automotive manufacturing sector is particularly exposed given the complex supply chains of some producers.”
-
Sports2 years ago‘Storybook stuff’: Inside the night Bryce Harper sent the Phillies to the World Series
-
Sports1 year agoStory injured on diving stop, exits Red Sox game
-
Sports1 year agoGame 1 of WS least-watched in recorded history
-
Sports2 years agoMLB Rank 2023: Ranking baseball’s top 100 players
-
Sports4 years ago
Team Europe easily wins 4th straight Laver Cup
-
Environment2 years agoJapan and South Korea have a lot at stake in a free and open South China Sea
-
Environment2 years agoGame-changing Lectric XPedition launched as affordable electric cargo bike
-
Business3 years agoBank of England’s extraordinary response to government policy is almost unthinkable | Ed Conway