Met Police defend dropping inquiry into London attacker Khuram Shazad Butt

Counter-terror agencies are under the spotlight after it emerged one of the London attackers was known to security services.

Khuram Shazad Butt was investigated in 2015, but officers insisted there was no evidence to suggest an attack was being planned.

He was therefore "prioritised in the lower echelons of our investigative work," police said.

Metropolitan Police Assistant Commissioner Mark Rowley defended the actions of the security services.

"At any one time MI5 and police are conducting around 500 active investigations, involving 3,000 subjects of interest.

"Additionally, there are around 20,000 individuals who are former subjects of interest, whose risk remains subject to review by MI5 and its partners."

Meanwhile, the chairman of the mosque where one of the London attackers worshipped has told of his shock.

Sunawar Ali said that he remembered Rachid Redouane as "quiet" and "gentle".

Mr Ali said he had last seen Redouane about two weeks ago but he did not speak to him, nor did he see anyone else speak to him.

Redouane has been named by police along with Khuram Shazad Butt as two of the three terrorists responsible for killing seven people and injuring more than 40 in the London Bridge area on Saturday night.

Image:Sunawar Ali with a picture of London attacker Rachid Redouane

He told Sky News that Redouane was "quiet ... hasn't made any problems".

:: LIVE BLOG: Latest from London terror attack

When he was told Redouane, 30, had been involved in the terror attack, he said: "Wow, I feel very sad but I don't believe how this happened.

"I've got no clue why and how so really I'm shocked now.

"This sort of thing... security should be updated if this is the fact."

:: Anti-terror barriers installed on three key London bridges

Redouane claimed to be Moroccan and Libyan but was also known to have lived in Ireland for 18 months until last year.

The third attacker is yet to be publicly named by police and officers have appealed for people with information about the three men to come forward, especially anyone who can help piece together their movement in the days and hours leading up to the attack.

As well as using a van and knives in their murderous spree, the men are also believed to have had a stock of at least a dozen Molotov cocktails in the back of that van.

:: US mayors back Sadiq Khan in Donald Trump Twitter row

Sky's Crime Correspondent Martin Brunt said: "Officers discovered what appeared to be bottles filled with a colourless

liquid with rags coming out of the top, they clearly appeared to be Molotov cocktails."

Police confirmed that 12 people arrested on Sunday in connection with the attack have now been released without charge. They had detained seven men and five women and have also searched six properties as part of their investigation.

A raid was carried out by Metropolitan Police officers at a property in Ilford, East London, on Tuesday in connection with the London Bridge attack.

Of the 48 people taken to hospital with injuries from the attack, 36 are still receiving treatment, with 18 of those in a critical condition.







Police are still working to advise the families of those killed, something which is taking longer than usual as some are from overseas.

The second victim to be named is James McMullan, 32, from Hackney, His sister Melissa McMullan described him as an "inspiration" and a "unique personality".

Canadian Christine Archibald, 30, died in her fiance's arms after being struck by the attackers' speeding van on London Bridge.

A French national has also been confirmed as having been killed but this person has not yet been publicly named.

Among those still missing are a Spanish national and an Australian.

US government contractor arrested after NSA leak report

A US government contractor has been arrested on suspicion of leaking top-secret information to a news outlet.

Reality Leigh Winner, 25, allegedly removed classified material from a government facility in the US state of Georgia.

The charges were announced shortly after the Intercept published a National Security Agency briefing about alleged Russian political meddling.

The Trump administration has been railing against leaks to the media.

Ms Winner was arrested on 3 June, the justice department said.
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Putin: Patriotic Russians may be hacking

She is a contractor with Pluribus International Corporation and had been employed at an NSA facility in Georgia since February, reports NBC News.

The accused faces a count of "gathering, transmitting or losing defence information", according to the network.

The Intercept's leaked document alleges Moscow's military intelligence services attempted cyber-attacks on at least one US voting software supplier days before last November's US presidential election.

It also accuses them of sending spear-phishing emails to more than 100 local election officials.

However, there is no suggestion in the document that the hackers were successful.

The NSA file in question was apparently marked for declassification not before May 2042.

Russia: The scandal Trump can't shake

American intelligence agencies have accused the Kremlin of trying to interfere in the election to ensure Donald Trump beat Hillary Clinton.

Several congressional committees and the FBI are investigating the matter.

The president has repeatedly dismissed the story as "fake news", arguing that the real scandal is how the allegations are being leaked to the media.

Ms Winner's arrest is the latest possible leak involving an NSA contractor.

Edward Snowden disclosed secret documents about US surveillance programmes in 2013 to journalists, including The Intercept's co-founding editor, Glenn Greenwald.

President Trump will not claim Executive Privilege to Block Former FBI Director James Comey

President Trump will not claim executive privilege to block former FBI Director James Comey from testifying before Congress later this week, the White House confirmed on Monday.

At the daily White House press briefing, Deputy Press Secretary Sarah Huckabee Sanders told reporters the president wants a “thorough investigation of facts,” in reference to Comey’s testimony before the Senate Intelligence Committee this Thursday.

“The president’s power to assert executive privilege is very well-established. However, in order to facilitate a swift and thorough examination of the facts sought by the Senate Intelligence Committee, President Trump will not assert executive privilege regarding James Comey’s scheduled testimony,” Huckabee Sanders said, reading a statement on the matter to reporters on Monday.

The statement marked the first firm answer from the administration on whether the president would use his executive privilege, a legal doctrine that allows the president to withhold information from other government branches

Widow denies Russian tycoon Alexander Perepilichnyy was poisoned

The widow of a wealthy Russian whistle-blower who died while out running has denied he was secretly killed.

Speaking at an inquest into the death of Alexander Perepilichnyy, Tatiana Perepilichnaya said her businessman husband had never feared for his life.

She said suggestions the pair moved to England because he owed people a lot of money were false.

Mr Perepilichnyy, 44, collapsed and died while out jogging near his home in Weybridge, Surrey, in November 2012. He is suspected of being poisoned by sorrel soup.

His death was originally attributed to natural causes, but traces of a chemical that can be found in the poisonous plant Gelsemium elegans were later found in his stomach.

Mr Perepilichnyy had been helping a specialist investment firm uncover a $230m (£150m) Russian money-laundering operation.

His name appeared on a "hit list" in Moscow and he had taken out million of pounds in life insurance policies, the court heard.

Image:The road on the estate in Weybridge where Mr Perepilichnyy collapsed

Speaking at the Old Bailey on Monday behind a screen, Ms Perepilichnaya denied her husband fell out with an "organised crime syndicate".

She said: "I know if there were any threats or problems Alexander would have told me."

She also described how she made the sorrel soup on the day her husband died. She said she cooked it with her daughter using boiled chicken, onions and carrot.

She said both her and her daughter tasted the soup while cooking it and then finished it later in the day.

She added that she was unaware of a man taking out an advert in Russia in 2011, accusing her husband of cheating him out of "a lot of money".

She denied knowing about any fraud allegations, adding: "I only have time to do house chores."

Ms Perepilichnaya said her "workaholic" husband had never discussed with her losing a large amount of money he had invested for Russians, nor any worry about being arrested in his home country.

She told the inquest that their family "liked England very much" and moved to the UK because "people are kind, polite and smile at you."

Surrey Police testified that an investigation had concluded there was no basis to conclude Mr Perepilichnaya was murdered.

Peter Skelton QC, counsel for the coroner, also told the court that requests had been made for any information held by MI5 and MI6 into the deceased.

He said the Government had taken a "generous approach" in its reply to the coroner although it had led to a public interest immunity application to keep some "sensitive" information secret.

The inquest continues.

Putin's hacking denials and conspiracies in US interview

Vladimir Putin and his inner circle govern in the knowledge that most media operations in Russia will provide a constant stream of glowing commentary.

In the last few weeks however, the Russian President has been subjecting himself to rather hostile questioning at press conferences with Western leaders - and 'sit-down' interviews with specially selected journalists.

The latest example was broadcast on Sunday night on American network NBC, with interviewer Megyn Kelly repeatedly quizzing Mr Putin on whether his government has tried to interfere in US politics.

Mr Putin looked and sounded like an increasingly irritated man.

"I haven't seen, even once, any direct proof of Russian interference in the presidential election in the United States," he said.

This, of course, is the Kremlin's standard response when challenged with the findings of 17 US intelligence agencies who collectively assert that President Putin ordered his people to intervene on the side of President Trump.

Last week, at a round table discussion at St Petersburg's International Economic Forum, the Russian leader seemed to fine-tune this denial, when he likened hackers to "artists" who could be acting on behalf of Russia if they felt its interests were being threatened.

But in the company of Kelly, he seemed to ditch this reference to "patriotic hacking".

"I hadn't said anything. It's just that French journalists asked me about those hackers. I told them the same thing I tell you. Hackers can be anywhere. They can be in Russia, in Asia - even in America - Latin America - there can even be hackers by the way in the United States who very skilfully and professionally shifted the blame on to Russia. Can you accept that?"

The Russian leader further developed the point, suggesting the Americans deliberately hacked their own election to make Russia look bad - and drew on a well-oiled conspiracy to back it up.

"There is a theory that (President) Kennedy's assassination was arranged by the United States intelligence services so if this theory is correct - and it cannot be ruled out - then what could be easier than using all the technical means of this day and age to organise the attacks and point the finger at Russia."

If that sounds a bit like Mr Putin is travelling up 'Imagination Lane', he offered up another conspiratorial spectacular last week, when he was asked whether Russia was responsible for a chemical weapons attack in northern Syria back in April.

In response (again to Kelly), he suggested that she and other Western journalists had colluded with Western governments by refusing to travel to the area and reveal the truth.







In an echo of Mr Trump, some of Mr Putin's remarks seemed to flatly contradict the words and actions of his own officials.

Mr Putin stated that it really did not matter to him whether Donald Trump was president because, "the main political direction (of the United States) does not change".

However, his team have spoken publicly about their efforts to get as close as possible to the American President.

The Russian deputy foreign minister boasted of Russia's "extensive contacts" with Mr Trump's team while the foreign minister Sergey Lavrov recently said, "We are concentrating on the main character, in this case the President of the United States… who has expressed his desire to develop better our relations and our common interests."

Image:Sergey Lavrov with Mr Trump at the White House. Pic: Russian foreign ministry

There were plenty of other denials - for example Mr Putin said he barely spoke to former US security adviser Michael Flynn at a dinner in Moscow in 2015, saying: "I didn't really talk to him."

But he also suggested that Russia would be justified if it did decide to hack the US - because it constantly interferes with other nations.

Why then is Vladimir Putin doing interviews when he cannot control the person asking the questions?

Does he think his recent media appearances will win over sceptics in the US? Does he think the battered US President needs a bit of help - a little overseas support?

It is difficult to know when interviewers like Kelly have so much material to chuck at him.

Image:Mr Putin said he barely spoke to Michael Flynn at a 2015 dinner

Trump accuses London mayor of giving 'pathetic excuse' after terror attack

Donald Trump has doubled down on his criticism of Sadiq Khan in the wake of Saturday's terror attack in central London.

The US President accused the capital's mayor of giving a "pathetic excuse" for how he reassured Londoners after seven people were killed on London Bridge and in Borough Market.

Mr Trump had written: "Pathetic excuse by London Mayor Sadiq Khan who had to think fast on his "no reason to be alarmed" statement. MSM (mainstream media) is working hard to sell it!"

In response, a spokesman for Mr Khan said: "The mayor is focused on dealing with Saturday's horrific and cowardly attack and working with the police, the emergency services and the Government to keep London safe."

During a news conference on Monday, the mayor even said that some state visits were "welcome, some less so" - a possible reference to Mr Trump's expected trip to the UK.

After several repeated questions from journalists, Prime Minister Theresa May suggested at a campaign event that Trump had been wrong to criticise the mayor.

Mr Khan's former Labour colleague in the Commons, David Lammy, had a less subtle response to the President.

Mr Lammy wrote: "You are truly beneath contempt. You are just a troll. Show some bottle please PM. Cancel the state visit and tell Trump where to get off.

"You demean your office by misquoting and smearing the Mayor of a city that has just been attacked and is also the capital of your close ally.

"You besmirch the presidency, you taint previous Presidents with your behaviour & you bring shame on your great country and its great people."

The war of words had began after the London mayor gave an interview on Sunday morning in which he urged people not to be frightened by an increased police presence.

He had said: "My message to Londoners and visitors to our great city is to be calm and vigilant today. You will see an increased police presence today, including armed officers and uniformed officers.

"There is no reason to be alarmed by this. We are the safest global city in the world.

"You saw last night as a consequence of our planning, our preparation, the rehearsals that take place, the swift response from the emergency services tackling the terrorists and also helping the injured."

This had been followed by Mr Trump firing off an incendiary barrage of tweetsattacking Mr Khan for his plea for calm - and promoting his contentious travel ban on several Muslim-majority countries.

Mr Khan's spokesperson had described the first round of presidential tweets as "ill-informed" - and said they had deliberately taken his remarks out of context.

On Monday afternoon, the White House insisted Mr Trump was not picking a fight with the mayor - but just raising an issue of national security.

Tensions between Westminster and the White House have been fraught for several weeks after intelligence gathered by the UK security services on the Manchester Arena attack was leaked to US media.

Two London Bridge attackers named as Khuram Butt and Rachid Redouane

Scotland Yard has named two of the terrorists involved in the London Bridge attack as Khuram Shazad Butt and Rachid Redouane.

The announcement is a sign the investigation has reached a stage where the police can be confident of revealing hitherto secret details.

In a statement, Scotland Yard confirmed Butt was known to police and MI5 - but added there was no intelligence to suggest an attack was being planned. They went on to say that Redouane was not known to those authorities.

Sky News knew the name of at least one attacker but we did not publish it at the request of the security services.

However, we have built up an extensive profile of Khuram Butt, his family life and career.

:: Second victim of London terror attack named

Image:Khuram Butt (left) and Rachid Redouane (right) have been named by the Metropolitan Police

In his neighbourhood in east London, Butt was known as Abu Zaitun - or Abu for short.

The 27-year-old came to Britain as a child when his parents sought asylum from Pakistan - and he lived in a ground-floor flat in Barking.

Neighbours tell a mixed picture of Butt.

One woman, who did not want to be named, said he stared angrily whenever he saw women cycling on the estate. She described it as "sinister" and "sexist".

Another neighbour said they enjoyed arguing about Arsenal and whether Arsene Wenger should remain manager.

:: LIVE - The latest on the London Bridge attack

Two young boys told me he had given them sweets and £2 each in a nearby park last week. He told them they must be polite to their dads and respect their elders.

But a parent also told us that she confronted him and asked him not to speak to her children any more - fearful they were being radicalised.

An online CV shows that Butt obtained an NVQ in business administration in 2009, and a diploma in teaching English to adults in August 2016.

The CV lists two jobs: one he started in May at Transport for London, and another at a company called Auriga Holdings, which we believe to be a franchise for a local KFC restaurant.

:: Anti-terror barriers installed on London bridges

Image:Khuram Butt seen in an Arsenal shirt in the aftermath of the attack. Pic: Gabriele Sciotto

Rachid Redouane was 30 years old and born in July 1986. He had said he was Moroccan and Libyan.

Scotland Yard says he also used the name Rachid Elkhdar, as well as a different date of birth which made him five years younger.

According to Sky sources, an Irish ID card was found on Redouane's body.

:: The moment police took down terrorists

Police in Ireland are investigating, with detectives trying to establish whether he travelled to Syria.

He is understood to have lived in the Rathmines area of Dublin for 18 months between 2014 and 2016. He was married to a Scottish wife.

An investigation is under way to establish the identity of the third accomplice - and Scotland Yard has asked for people with information about any of these men to come forward.