Streatham terrorist Sudesh Amman died after being shot in neck and abdomen

26 February 2020, 18:30 | Updated: 26 February 2020, 18:31

Streatham terrorist Sudesh Amman died from gunshot wounds to the neck and abdomen, an inquest has heard.

The 20-year-old was shot dead by two police marksmen after he stole a knife from a shop on Streatham High Road and stabbed two bystanders on Sunday February 2 while wearing a fake suicide vest.

The hearing at Southwark Coroner’s Court was told Amman was identified by his mother and a post mortem carried out on February 4 recorded the death as shock and haemorrhage and gunshot wounds.

He stabbed a man aged in his 40s and a woman aged in her 50s. Both were taken to hospital but their injuries were not life-threatening.

A woman in her 20s was also injured by glass after a police gun was fired but was quickly released from hospital.

Covert armed officers had him under 24-hour surveillance at the time of the attack after he was released mid-way through a jail sentence for distributing terrorist documents.

A High Court judge may need to hear the inquest if the actions of the intelligence services and matters of national security are included in its scope.

Opening the inquest on Wednesday, senior coroner Andrew Harris said: "At this stage it is not clear but it may be useful to point out that if the scope was to explore decisions made by intelligence services that would touch matters of national security.

"If the process was likely to need to look at those matters there may be a need for me to apply for a High Court judge to hear the inquest."

Mr Harris said interested parties currently included the families of victims, individual police officers, Scotland Yard, the Independent Office for Police Conduct, and the prison and probation services.

He added: "It remains to be seen whether the scope should extend to the intelligence services."

Scotland Yard has said its extensive inquiries, including more than 200 witness statements and CCTV analysis, so far indicates that Amman acted alone and without assistance.

Amman was jailed in December 2018 and freed less than a fortnight before lunging at bystanders with the 20cm blade in the south-west London street.

The attack has prompted emergency legislation preventing the automatic release from prison of terrorist offenders to receive Royal Assent - just before the next terrorist prisoner is eligible to be freed.