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London Bridge terrorist Usman Khan successful won an appeal against an indeterminate sentence for terrorism offences after complaining his prison sentence was too long.

Khan, along with a number of others, was jailed in 2012 for plotting schemes including blowing up the London Stock Exchange.

However Khan, from Persia Walk in Tunstall, and others successfully had their sentences reduced to 16-year prison terms in 2013 - with Khan released on licence in 2018.

Khan’s barrister, Joel Bennathan QC, insisted that Khan’s indefinite term, from which he may never be released, was simply too tough for one so young. He also claimed the crown court judge was ‘wrong to promote his offence to a high level of sophistication.’

(Image: Kirsty O'Connor/PA Wire)

The court also ruled that the four men must abide by Counter Terrorism Act rules for 30 years.The men were among nine suspects arrested for their involvement in a terror ring in December 2010.The wider group – which included terrorists from London and Cardiff – was planning to bomb the London Stock Exchange.

They were inspired by Al-Qaeda propaganda and the ideology of Anwar Al Awlaki, the now dead Yemen-based extremist.The men met in Cardiff parks and used counter-surveillance measures in an effort to escape detection.

But the security services were keeping tabs on them as they discussed plans to set up a military training camp in Pakistan, sending letter bombs, attacking pubs used by British racists, a Mumbai-style armed assault and bombing a high-profile target.Khan, Shahjahan and Hussain plotted al-Qaida-inspired bomb attacks on pubs and clubs in the Potteries.

They wanted to bring terror to their home city by placing homemade timed bombs in pub toilets.They also planned to send at least one of them to terror training camps in Pakistan.

The Stoke-on-Trent defendants were recorded talking about attacking pubs in the city, although they had not selected specific targets by the time of their arrest.

They had also not constructed the bombs.

Following Friday's attack, the Parole Board said Khan had been released automatically.

A spokesman said: “We have every sympathy with those affected by the dreadful events that happened in London Bridge yesterday.

“Given the seriousness of this attack, it is understandable that there is speculation about the attacker’s release from prison.

“The Parole Board can confirm it had no involvement with the release of the individual identified as the attacker, who appears to have been released automatically on licence (as required by law), without ever being referred to the Board.”

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