Terrorist shot dead after stabbing 3 people in south London attack is named as Sudesh Amman, 20, who was freed just days ago after serving jail term for distributing extremist material

Photos from the scene show a lifeless body face down on the pavement with what have been described as 'silver canisters' strapped to his chest with a large knife is lying beside him 

Police load the body of Sudesh Amman into a private ambulance on Sunday evening after he was shot dead in Streatham

Another woman received minor injuries in today's attack, believed to have been caused by flying glass following a police gunshot. 

Officers are thought to have called for back-up in a panic after seeing Amman steal the knife before launching his attack, reportedly yelling 'Allahu Akbar'.

In the rush to get there, one police car crashed into a driveway on a residential street a mile away.

The Whitehall source insisted that Amman had been under constant surveillance following his early release from prison just days ago. 

Before being jailed in 2018, Amman asked his girlfriend to kill her parents because they were 'kuffar' and wrote about how his goal was to be a martyr. 

His stash of manuals on bomb making, knife fighting and close combat included the titles Bloody Brazilian Knife Fighting and How to Make A Bomb In Your Kitchen.

The North West London College student jotted down how to make explosives in a notebook and was planning a terrorist attack in Queensbury, northwest London, during Skype chats. 

Amman posted a link to a pdf copy of the 'Inspire' magazine focusing on the idea of the 'Lone Jihad' in a family WhatsApp group in January this year, exposing children as young as 11 to extremist material.

The document contained an article about 'the successful pressure cooker bomb' and provided detailed instructions on how to maximise casualties through the use of IEDs. 

After he was jailed, Alexis Boon, head of the Met Police counter-terrorism command, said: 'His fascination with dying in the name of terrorism was clear in a notepad we recovered from his home.' 

At the time of his trial, prosecutor Kelly Brocklehurst said: 'The defendant had discussed with his family, friends and girlfriend his strong and often extreme views on jihad, the kuffar, and his desire to carry out a terrorist attack.

'Much of his fascination with conducting an attack was focused on using a knife but reference was also made to committing acid attacks on mopeds.

'The Crown contends that the defendant's interest in Islamic extremism and Daesh in particular is more than a mere immature fascination with the taboo and with graphic violence. He is clearly someone with sincerely held and concerning ideological beliefs which motivate him to collect and disseminate such material.

'For example, he is seen telling his girlfriend in online chat how he has declared a pledge to Islamic State and wishes to purge society and carry out acid attacks. Elsewhere he is seen telling her he prefers the idea of a knife attack over use of bombs.'

Officers raced to the scene outside a supermarket on High Road in Streatham at around 2pm today following reports of gunfire

A Whitehall source said this evening: 'He was under surveillance, that is what allowed police to do their job so quickly. It could have been much worse than it was.

'There had been concerns when he was in prison but there were no powers for any authority to keep him behind bars.

'There was nothing that could be done to keep him behind bars under existing laws, hence why he was under surveillance and strict licencing conditions.

'He had served half of his sentence, which was more than three years, so had to be released despite concerns over his conduct.

'The public will look at this case and say why was this individual not kept behind bars and the Prime Minister shares that view.

'This shines a light on something that clearly needs addressing.'

The source added that the 'very stringent' licencing conditions included a curfew.

Boris Johnson has said he will announce plans on Monday for 'fundamental changes to the system for dealing with those convicted of terrorism offences' following the terror-related incident in south London.

In a statement, the Prime Minister said: 'My thoughts are with the injured victims and their loved ones following today's horrific attack in Streatham.

'I want to pay tribute to the speed and bravery of the police who responded and confronted the attacker - preventing further injuries and violence - and all of the emergency services who came to the aid of others.

'An investigation is taking place at pace to establish the full facts of what happened, and the Government will provide all necessary support to the police and security services as this work goes on.

'Following the awful events at Fishmonger's Hall in December, we have moved quickly to introduce a package of measures to strengthen every element of our response to terrorism - including longer prison sentences and more money for the police.

'Tomorrow, we will announce further plans for fundamental changes to the system for dealing with those convicted of terrorism offences.'

Police forensic officers with a bag at the scene in Streatham High Road, south London, after an attacker was shot dead by armed officers

Officers raced to the scene outside a supermarket on High Road in Streatham at around 2pm today following reports of gunfire.

Photos from the scene showed a lifeless body face down on the pavement with what were described as 'silver canisters' strapped to his chest with a large knife lying beside him.

In one video, police armed with machine guns and masked undercover officers are seen approaching the suspect's body before rapidly moving away from the area.

Scotland Yard said the broad-daylight carnage was a terror-related incident around an hour after first reports from the scene.  

Witness David Chawner said: 'I was going to the cinema. I saw what I thought was just a shop lifting. I saw someone run down the street, bump into someone and then they fell to the ground, got up again, and then somebody shouted and then I heard what I thought was a car backfiring.

'I didn't assume it was a gunshot until I saw what later turned out to be two officers pointing guns at an assailant on the road.' 

He added: 'And because I was going to the cinema I always carry a blanket with me. It's a stupid thing but I always get really cold in the cinema. So I took that out my bag and gave it to them to compress the wound.'

The Met's deputy assistant commissioner Lucy D'Orsi said: 'At approximately 2pm on Sunday two people were stabbed in Streatham High Road, Lambeth.

'As part of a proactive Counter Terrorism operation, armed officers were in immediate attendance and shot a male suspect, who was pronounced dead at the scene. 

'A third person also received minor injuries – believed to have been caused by glass following the discharge of the police firearm.

'A device was found strapped to the body of the suspect and specialist officers attended.

Police can be seen behind a cordon in Streatham. London Ambulance Service Strategic Commander Graham Norton said: 'We were called at 1.58pm today (2 February) to reports of an incident in Streatham High Road'

Streatham officer shouts at bystanders to 'get inside'

'Cordons were put in place and it was quickly established that this was a hoax device.

'Three victims have been taken to south London hospitals. One man is being treated as life-threatening, one woman has non-life threatening injuries and another woman has minor injuries.

'My thoughts are with the victims and their loved-ones at this time.

'The situation has been contained and officers from the Met's Counter Terrorism Command are now leading an investigation into the incident. The incident was quickly declared as a terrorist incident and we believe it to be Islamist-related.'

London Ambulance Service Strategic Commander Graham Norton said: 'We were called at 1.58pm today (2 February) to reports of an incident in Streatham High Road.

'We worked closely with the other emergency services and sent a number of resources including five ambulance crews, an advanced paramedic practitioner, an incident response officer and a motorcycle responder, with the first of our medics arriving in four minutes. We also dispatched London's Air Ambulance.

'We treated three patients for injuries at the scene, and took all three people to hospital.' 

The incident comes just three months after the London Bridge attack where Usman Khan was shot dead by armed police after he killed two people and injured three others while wearing a fake suicide vest. Pictured: An armed police officer recovers medical bags from the scene

A police forensics officer works outside a Boots pharmacy at the scene. Emma Taylor, from Streatham Hill, told Sun Online: 'I was walking up the high street after going for brunch with some friends and we saw a woman screaming outside a small hardware shop next to Iceland'

A police forensic officer was seen working at the scene. Dave Chawner tweeted to say: 'I had to stay with someone who'd just been #stabbed in #Streatham for 30 minutes before a single ambulance arrived'

A 33-year-old woman who lives near the scene also MailOnline how she was locked in a nearby Odeon for 20 minutes after the attack, before being rushed out a fire exit round the back. Pictured: Forensic officers at the scene

One officer was filmed telling pedestrians that the suspect was wearing a possible suicide vest before directing them away from the scene. Pictured: A forensic officer at the scene

Just minutes after the attack in London, Belgian police also shot a 'knifeman' who is thought to have stabbed two people on a busy high street in Ghent. Pictured: An armed police officer recovers medical bags from the scene

Streatham attacker's body is removed from the crime scene

In the Belgium attack, the suspect was reportedly injured by officers in Ghent during the incident on Bevrijdingslaan, according to HLN. Pictured: A police officer at the scene

Student Rafe Askem was walking along the High Road when he heard a man shouting 'ahh' and then saw the victim bleeding. Pictured: Forensic officers after the attack

Dozens of emergency vehicles lined the area and an air ambulance landed on Tooting Bec Common a few hundred yards from the scene of the shooting. Pictured: Forensic officers at the scene

One officer was filmed telling pedestrians that the suspect was wearing a possible suicide vest before directing them away from the scene. 

Just minutes after the attack in London, Belgian police also shot a 'knifeman' who is thought to have stabbed two people on a busy high street in Ghent.

The suspect was reportedly injured by officers in Ghent during the incident on Bevrijdingslaan, according to HLN.

Pictures show a man pinned to the ground by police on the busy road as witnesses watch in horror.