Graduate student killed in London Bridge attack had surprising connection to terrorist

The man killed in the London Bridge terror attack was a 25-year-old Cambridge University graduate who helped educate and rehabilitate prison inmates.

Jack Merrit was a law and criminology graduate and coordinated a course for the university’s prison rehabilitation program.

He has been remembered as a “beautiful soul taken far too soon.”

His dad, David Merrit, tweeted saying the last thing his son would want is for his death to be used as the “pretext for more draconian sentences or for detaining people unnecessarily.”

“RIP Jack: you were a beautiful spirit who always took the side of the underdog,” his tweet read.

Tributes have since flooded Jack’s social media accounts. He was one of two people killed by Usman Khan, who went on a stabbing rampage on London Bridge at 2pm on Friday (local time).

“Rest In Eternal Peace, another beautiful soul taken far too soon and so needlessly,” one person wrote in a comment to Jack’s Facebook page.

“Rest in peace buddy. My thoughts are with you, and your family and friends, during this difficult time,” another wrote.

“I can’t believe someone doing the type of work you were ended up victim to the most unfair of circumstances. Sending my thoughts and prayers to your friends and family tonight,” a third said.

Jack had a “deep commitment” to reducing the rate of re-offending prisoners through his work on the Cambridge project called Learning Together, the BBC reported.

Barrister Tim Storrie, who met Jack while he was working on the project, told the publication the young man had “saved lives through his work”, while solicitor Audrey Ludwig praised his “deep commitment to prisoner education and rehabilitation”.

London Bridge terrorist’s dark past

The London Bridge attack has pushed law and order towards the top of the British political agenda, with days to go before a snap election, after police said the assailant had previously been convicted of terrorism offences but freed early from jail.

Usman Khan, wearing a fake suicide vest and wielding two knives, went on the rampage at a conference on criminal rehabilitation beside London Bridge on Friday, killing two people.

• Murderer on day release saved woman from London Bridge attacker

• Footage captures moment heroes tackle London Bridge terrorist

• London Bridge attacker jailed for 'terror offences' before rampage

The 28-year old Briton was wrestled to the ground by bystanders and then shot dead by police.

Police said on Saturday that Khan had been convicted in 2012 for his part in an al Qaeda-inspired plot to blow up the London Stock Exchange. He was released in December 2018 subject to conditions.

Jeremy Corbyn, leader of the main opposition Labour Party, criticised the government's sentencing policies.

"There's got to be a very full investigation," said Corbyn who is seeking to depose Prime Minister Boris Johnson in the election on December 12 but trails in opinion polls.

"I think there is also a question about what the probation service were doing ... and whether the parole board should have been involved in deciding whether or not he should have been allowed to be released from prison in the first place," he said.

Earlier, Johnson said the London Bridge attack was a terrorist act and vowed to end a practice whereby serious offenders can be automatically let out of prison early.

"I have long said that this system simply isn't working," he said after visiting the scene of the attack on Saturday.

Islamic State said the attack on Friday was carried out by one of its fighters and was in response to its calls to target countries that had been part of a coalition fighting the jihadist group, according to its Amaq news agency. The group did not provide any evidence for its assertion.

Three people remain in hospital with two victims in a stable condition while a third person is suffering from less serious injuries, according to the National Health Service.

Police said they were continuing their investigation by searching an address in Stafford and the Stoke areas of central England, with the country's top counter-terrorism officer saying they were not looking for any other suspects.

"We have found no evidence to suggest anybody else was involved in this attack," said Neil Basu. "Our investigative priority at this time is to ensure that there is no related outstanding threat to the public."

London Bridge was the scene of an attack during the 2017 election when three militants drove a van into pedestrians and then attacked people in the surrounding area, killing eight people and injuring at least 48.

Islamic State said its fighters were responsible for that attack, but the British authorities have cast doubt on those claims. The 2017 attack focused attention on cuts to policing since the ruling Conservatives took power in 2010.

Friday's attack prompted a pause in election campaigning, but scaled-back activities resumed on Saturday, ahead of the election that could decide the fate of Brexit.

Law and order is now likely to feature more prominently in the campaign in the coming days.

With Reuters

Do you have a story tip? Email: newsroomau@yahoonews.com.

You can also follow us on Facebook, Instagram and Twitter and download the Yahoo News app from the App Store or Google Play.