UK - Mass stabbing in Reading 20 June 2020

The bizarre coincidence is confirmed in this report: Sainsbury's guard recognised blood-soaked 'terrorist' 1yr after bottle attack

Incidentally, the photo of KS with cat in the Mail piece shows a lot of scarring on his arms that look like past instances of self harm to me.

 

Voice Of Vienna
Reading terror suspect left prison 16 days before park attack that killed three
''Saadallah's cousin said that the 25-year-old drank and socialised and had Christian tattoos including a crucifix, and had feared Islamic extremists in Libya due to his lifestyle.

The relative claimed he had claimed asylum in Britain because he believed his own life was under threat.

The relative, who is still in Libya, suggested Saadallah has converted to Christianity since settling in Reading after spending time in Manchester.

He had been living at a temporary council home in Basingstoke Rd, on the outskirts of Reading, which was raided by police following the park attack.

Saadallah is believed to have become radicalised by accessing online Islamist propaganda, according to the Sun.

He had been placed on an MI5 'long list' but investigators ruled his interest was merely 'aspirational.'''

 

It's becoming so common now for these people to have been on someone's list and then this happens with them never really being considered a threat. So sad for the victims and their families. I hope a speedy recovery for the injured.

 

The second victim of the Reading terror attack has been named as 39-year-old American citizen Joe Ritchie-Bennett, his family has confirmed to the Philadelphia Inquirer

 

Minute's silence to be held for Reading victims

 

Also on BBC. RIP Joe.

American named as second victim of Reading attack

 

Tributes pour in for second Reading terror victim who has been named

 

I hate it when people come to our country and don’t get to go home ever again

 

I think it was reported he'd been living here for about 15 years, if I remember correctly.

 

But awful for the family to be so far away and who knows if they can even get to the funeral with things as they are.

I'm wondering if there might also be a homophobic aspect to the choice of victims at least, if not the incident as a whole: American named as second victim of Reading attack

 

"Laurence Wort, 20, who was visiting Reading for the day, told the BBC he was about 10m away when the attack started.

"The park was pretty full, a lot of people sat around drinking with friends when one lone person walked through, suddenly shouted some unintelligible words and went round a large group trying to stab them.

"He stabbed three of them and then turned and started running towards me, when we turned and started running.

"When he realised that he couldn't catch us he tried to stab another group sat down."


His group were lucky and it sounds like they outrun him.

 

Reading stabbings: Reaction to fatal Forbury Gardens attack - BBC News

This is a live reporting link so quite a lot of info in here.

From 14.15

Posted at 14:1514:15
Misinformation about attack spreads on social media

Marianna Spring

Disinformation and social media reporter


PACopyright: PA
Old photos, misleading claims and conspiracies relating to the Reading attack have been shared across social media.

Some posts show old images of convicted terrorists claiming they were behind the attack, while others made false claims about a left-wing commentator. Some erroneously tried to link the incident to an earlier Black Lives Matter protest.

There was also a disturbing, albeit genuine, video of the aftermath of the incident. Police encouraged people not to share it, out of respect to the victims.

Breaking news can be fertile territory for misinformation and uninformed speculation. Before you share a post on social media:

• Interrogate the source. Have the claims been reported in reliable places? Are the images old or manipulated?
• Think about bias. Does the person sharing have an ulterior motive? And does it confirm pre-existing bias or feed into a polarised conversation?
• Is it helpful? Even if the claims were true, would it be useful to share them? And would it be respectful to those affected?

 

Khairi Saadallah boasted about fighting in Libya but had mental health issues, friends claim
''Khairi Saadallah boasted to friends that he had fought as a child soldier to overthrow Colonel Muammar Gaddafi.

He claimed he had been forced to move to the UK because his life was in danger.

Those who knew him as he embarked on a new life in Manchester and later, Reading, on Sunday described an unpredictable character who smoked cannabis - a habit which friends believed affected his personality.

Saadallah, 25, suffered from a mental health condition that meant he heard voices in his head and had psychotic episodes for which he took medication, a cousin told the Telegraph.

“He always said it was like someone cast a spell on him,” she said.

“He thought people were following him.”

 

Having read this profile of Joe Ritchie-Bennett, I am wondering if this attack was motivated by homophobia. I know all of the “official” ( corporate-sponsored, large-scale) Pride celebrations this June have effectively been cancelled due to the pandemic but I wonder if the gathering in the park targeted by the attacker might’ve been an informal get-together for LGBTQIA+ folks?

Another victim, James Furlong, also appears to have been an openly gay man, and as this event in England comes just a few weeks after the fifth anniversary of the mass murder of innocent club-goers by a homophobic religious zealot at Pulse (the LGBTQ nightclub in Florida), I cant help but wonder if similar sentiments motivated this attack.

Reading terror attack victims were beautiful and proud members of the LGBT+ community who wanted equality for all

Reading attack victim 'beautiful' son, says family

Northeast Philadelphia native, brother of police captain, killed in British terrorist attack

 

Scientist named as 3rd Reading stab victim as families blast 'senseless' deaths

 

All three of them were friends and enjoying time together. So awful.

 

Fwiw, also posting on murdered sisters thread. rbbm.
UK - Nicole Smallman, 27 & Bibaa Henry 46, Archdeacon's daughters, murdered London park, 7 June 2020

UK security concerns mount after Reading attack | DW | 22.06.2020
''British Interior Minister Priti Patel on Monday warned that the threat from lone attackers was on the rise in the UK.

Her comments came two days after a man stabbed three people to death at a park in the southern English city of Reading. Authorities labeled the incident as a terror attack.

"The terrorist threat that we face is complex, diverse, and rapidly changing. It is clear that the threat posed by lone actors is growing," Patel told lawmakers in parliament.''

 

Oh dear, missed opportunity here: Police stopped Reading terror suspect Khairi Saadallah a day before attack | Daily Mail Online

It seems increasingly likely that this was rooted in his mental health issues.

 

KS charged with murder: Man charged over Reading stabbings