Sudesh Amman, 20, from Harrow, fantasised about carrying out a terror attack with a blade or with acid while riding a moped and had been jailed in 2018 - before being released a few days ago

Emergency laws blocking the early release of terrorists from prison will be brought in following yesterday's brutal attack in London, the government announced today.

Justice Secretary Robert Buckland announced plans for new legislation that would stop extremists from being freed from prison until they had served their full sentence unless they had been assessed and cleared by the Parole Board.

A No 10 source said the legislation would be introduced this week ahead of a package of measures expected later this year that could include a beefed-up role for the Parole Board.

Crucially ministers want plans for the law to apply to those already in prison for terror crimes, as well as those jailed in future.

It came as Boris Johnson signalled that tough new rules could be made retrospective after an Islamist terrorist was freed from prison early only to commit a bloody atrocity days later.

Mr Johnson promised 'fundamental changes' after Sudesh Amman's rampage in south London.

The 20-year-old walked free last week, halfway through a three years and four month sentence for 13 terror offences. On Sunday he marauded through Streatham high street, stabbing two people before he was shot dead.

Addressing MPs in the Commons this afternoon Mr Buckland said: 'Yesterday's appalling incident makes the case plainly for immediate action.

Amman lies face down on a south London pavement after he was shot by undercover officers following his stabbing rampage during which two were wounded

Justice Secretary Robert Buckland announced plans for new legislation that would stop extremists from being freed from prison until they had served their full sentence unless they had been assessed and cleared by the Parole Board

'We cannot have the situation, as we saw tragically in yesterday's case, where an offender - a known risk to innocent members of the public - is released early by automatic process of law without any oversight by the Parole Board.

'We will be doing everything we can to protect the public, that is our primary duty.

'We will, therefore, introduce emergency legislation to ensure an end to terrorist offenders getting released automatically having served half of their sentence with no check or review.'

He added that the Government planned to 'ensure the functions of the Parole Board are strengthened to deal even more effectively with the specific risk that terrorists pose to public safety'.

The earliest offenders will now be considered for release will move from halfway through their term to two-thirds.

The Parole Board has welcomed the move, issuing a statement that read: "Given the recent events at London Bridge and Streatham, the Parole Board understands and welcomes the Government's plans to ensure that terrorist offenders are not released automatically, as occurred in these incidents but are instead considered by an independent panel of the Parole Board.

"Our over-riding priority is the protection of the public. The independent Parole Board will not direct the release of an offender unless we are satisfied, taking account of all the evidence, that detention is no longer necessary for the protection of the public.

"The board's focus is rightly on those who have committed the most serious criminal offences and it is vital that the most serious offenders are subject to a proper assessment before their release."

A No10 source said as well as short-term measures it was looking at longer-term plans including expanding the role of the Parole Board or hiving off counter-terror responsibilities to a new body, possibly involving former judges with relevent expertise.

It will also look at whether those convicted of the most serious terror offences 'should ever be released, or whether there should be permanent conditions on their release'.

When the London Bridge terror attack happened in November during the election campaign, the Prime Minister promised he would end automatic early release for terrorists.

Following the stunning Tory victory on December 12, the Queen's Speech then committed to bring forward legislation to remove the possibility of early release for the most dangerous offenders.

Even lower-level terrorists convicts will only be eligible for release at the discretion of the Parole Board two-thirds through their sentences, rather than halfway. The most serious offenders face minimum 14 year jail terms under the proposals.

But the Counter Terrorism Bill that would bring the measures into force has yet to be published. Government sources insisted that the legislation would come to Parliament its first 100 days in office.

Asked about the crackdown today, Mr Johnson suggested the new rules could be retrospectively imposed on offenders who are already serving sentences.

'We are bringing forward legislation to stop the system of automatic early release. The difficulty is how to apply retrospectively to the cohort of people who currently qualify,' he said.

'It is time to take action to ensure, irrespective of the law we are bringing in, people in the current stream don't qualify automatically for early release.'

Downing Street has said it began work immediately on working to prevent prisoners who have been convicted of terror offences from being released if they are still a threat.

Asked whether the Government was working to apply a ban retrospectively to current prisoners, the Prime Minister's official spokesman said: 'The PM set out this morning what we are working to achieve.

'That work began immediately last night once the circumstances of this case became apparent. It's ongoing now.

'The PM set out clearly what we want to achieve, which is preventing people who there are concerns could still pose a risk to the public from being released from prison in terrorism cases.'

Pressed if this meant ending automatic early release, he said the PM had been 'fairly emphatic'.

The Prime Minister (pictured today) promised there would be 'fundamental changes' to the system for dealing with convicted extremists after Sudesh Amman 's rampage in south London

London Mayor Sadiq Khan said he was 'angry' at the 'lack of progress', arguing that the Streatham attack on Sunday was 'clearly foreseeable'.

He told ITV's Good Morning Britain: 'One of the things we were promised in November when we had the two fatalities is that the Government would learn the lessons and make sure they would change the policies they brought in a few years ago...

'But for an inch this way or that way, but for the brilliance of the medics and the speed of the police, there would have been two fatalities and many more.

'And that's one of the reasons why I'm not just frustrated but I'm angry at the changes made in the past and the lack of progress in making the changes we were promised in November.'

Amman's mother is 'disgusted' by her son's knife rampage The mother of convicted terrorist Sudesh Amman is 'disgusted' with his knife rampage after he stabbed two people in an attack in London, MailOnline can reveal. Haleema Khan, 41, is 'very upset' with her 20-year-old son's knife rampage and rejects his fanatical Islamic extremist beliefs, a source close to the family said. Amman lived with Mrs Khan and his five younger brothers in Harrow, North West London, before he was jailed for terror offences at the Old Bailey in December 2018. Mrs Khan, who has since moved to the Bedfordshire market town of Dunstable, is now trying to get her son's body from police 'as soon as possible' to bury him. The family source told MailOnline today: 'Haleema is disgusted by what he has done and his beliefs, but she is a mother and has lost a son so she is very upset and sad. 'But they are relieved that he wasn't able to kill anyone. It has hit them very hard, but now they are trying to get his body from the police as soon as possible and bury him. 'This is done as quickly as one can for Muslims as is custom and prayers for him will begin shortly.' Advertisement

And local Streatham MP Bell Ribeiro-Addy said: 'The perpetrator didn't serve his full sentence which is questionable - what is more questionable is why he needed to be under surveillance.

'If someone needs to be under surveillance it brings the question on why they were released in the first place.'

After a speech on Brexit in London this morning, Mr Johnson said: 'The questions everyone has about the individual concerned is what was he doing out on automatic early release and why was there no system of scrutiny, no parole system, to check whether he was ready, a suitable candidate for automatic early release.

'That is a very complex legal question and as you know we are bringing forward legislation to stop the system of automatic early release - the difficulty is how to apply that retrospectively to the cohort of people who currently qualify.

'We do think it is time to take action to ensure that ... people in the current stream do not qualify automatically for early release.'

Mr Johnson's comments last night echoed those made after London's last terror attack when two people were killed by convicted terrorist Usman Khan at Fishmongers' Hall in December.

Khan, 28, had been attending a prisoner rehabilitation event after being released on licence in December 2018.

'If you are convicted of a serious terrorist offence, there should be a mandatory minimum sentence of 14 years - and some should never be released,' the Prime Minster said then.

'Further, for all terrorism and extremist offences the sentence announced by the judge must be the time actually served - these criminals must serve every day of their sentence, with no exceptions.'

Mr Johnson has now said the Government has 'moved quickly' to introduce measures to strengthen the UK's response to terrorism.

Last month details of The Counter Terrorism (Sentencing and Release) Bill were released.

They included forcing dangerous terrorists who receive extended determinate sentences to serve the whole time behind bars, and scrapping early release from jail for those classed as dangerous and handed extended determinate sentences.

Boris Johnson has promised there will be 'fundamental changes' to the system for dealing with convicted terrorists after Sunday's attack by a newly-released prisoner

Terrorists deemed not to be a risk would have to serve two-thirds of their sentence before the Parole Board could consider them for release, as part of the bill.

Following the London Bridge attack during the election campaign, Mr Johnson blamed the 'leftie' Labour government for introducing automatic early release.

In 2003 the law was changed so most offenders received early release, but 'dangerous' offenders on extended sentences would only be let out with the Parole Board's consent.

What is happening with tougher terror sentences? What has Boris Johnson promised? The Government proposed a series of changes after convicted terrorist Usman Khan murdered two people at Fishmongers' Hall in the City of London in November, while he was on probation. Under the current plan, the Counter Terrorism (Sentencing and Release) Bill will bring in a raft of changes. Early release for those classed as dangerous would be scrapped, and offenders not classed as dangerous would be expected to serve two-thirds of their sentence rather than half. Other changes include making dangerous terrorists who receive extended determinate sentences serve the whole time behind bars, and giving those convicted of serious offences such as preparing acts of terrorism or directing a terrorist organisation a minimum of 14 years in jail. But it is not clear whether these changes could be applied to existing cases. Boris Johnson said today: 'We are bringing forward legislation to stop the system of automatic early release. The difficulty is how to apply retrospectively to the cohort of people who currently qualify,' he said. 'It is time to take action to ensure, irrespective of the law we are bringing in, people in the current stream don't qualify automatically for early release. When will these changes be brought in? The Counter Terrorism (Sentencing and Release) Bill was announced in the Queen's Speech but, according to the Parliament website, no date has yet been set for a second reading in the Commons. It will need to go through multiple stages in both the Commons and the House of Lords before it can receive Royal Assent. Government sources insisted the second reading for the Bill will take place within its first 100 days in office. Advertisement

In 2008 the law was changed again to allow for early release without Parole Board involvement. However, the coalition and Tory governments since have not rolled back the provisions.

Mr Johnson said in early December: 'Now that I am prime minister I'm going to take steps to make sure that people are not released early when they commit... serious sexual, violent or terrorist offences.

'I absolutely deplore the that fact that this man was out on the streets... and we are going to take action against it.'

Shortly after the attack, Home Office figures showed more than 350 convicted and suspected terrorists had been freed from prison over the previous seven years.

Overall, 353 terror criminals and suspects had been released from prison between June 2012 and the same period in 2019, of which 245 were convicted of offences.

Rory Stewart, the former Tory prisons minister and now an independent candidate for Mayor of London said: 'We should be reassured that armed officers were able to be on the scene as quickly as they were.'

Asked at the scene about rehabilitation and de-radicalisation, he said: 'Someone that has committed a crime such as this man will have a limited time determined by a judge and they will eventually get out.

'The key is what work you do with them once they are in prison and the work you do when they are out of prison.'

Former head of UK counter-terrorism policing Sir Mark Rowley said there was a 'case' for giving terrorists indeterminate prison sentences.

But he told BBC Radio 4's Today programme that they should also be given rehabilitation and de-radicalisation support so they can change their ways.

'If someone is clearly driven by an ideology and they believe that slaughtering other people is a sort of God-given purpose, then I can see a case for that,' said Sir Mark.

'As long as we put alongside it the rehabilitation and de-radicalisation programmes to give someone the opportunity to change their ways and be released.

'I don't think there should be a lock-up-and-throw-away-the key - we need to be as equally aggressive about trying to help people turn their lives around as we are determined to protect the public.'

The jihadis who slipped through the net: How Streatham knifeman Sudesh Amman is latest terrorist to carry out an attack while on British authorities' radar

The convicted terrorist who went on a knife rampage in south London yesterday is the latest in a growing list of Islamists to strike while on the radar of security services.

Sudesh Amman was able to stab two people on Streatham high street despite being under close surveillance by MI5 and anti-terror police following his release from jail.

He was freed just a few days ago under 'very stringent' licencing conditions, meaning armed police who were tracking him arrived on the scene in moments.

But officers were unable to prevent him from knifing one man in the stomach and a female cyclist in the back before he was eventually shot dead outside Boots chemist.

Amman, 20, becomes the second convicted terrorist to carry out a knife attack in Britain within ten weeks, following a similar rampage by London Bridge attacker Usman Khan.

Sunday's terror attack by Sudesh Amman (left) was the second knife rampage by a convicted terrorist to take place in ten weeks, following the atrocity committed by Usman Khan (right)

Armed police shoot dead extremist Sudesh Amman, who was wearing a fake suicide vest, after he grabbed a knife from a shop and stabbed a man and a woman in a brutal high-street rampage in Streatham, South London, at about 2pm yesterday

Usman Khan, 28, killed two people at Fishmongers' Hall in 2019

Khan, 28, was shot dead by police on London Bridge in November after killing two people at a nearby rehabilitation conference while out on licence for terror offences.

The son of a taxi driver, he got an indeterminate jail term in 2012 after admitting preparing terrorist acts, including the plot and starting a terror training camp in Pakistan.

In 2013 the Court of Appeal changed that to a 16-year fixed sentence which meant Khan had to serve only half.

While on licence in November, he stabbed Cambridge graduates Jack Merritt, 25, and Saskia Jones, 23, to death while wearing a fake suicide vest at Fishmonger's Hall.

In the aftermath of Khan's attack, it was claimed Khan had reformed and become a model prisoner while in prison, which helped him win permission to travel unescorted from his Stafford bedsit to London.

But Khan was moved to a Category A prison after he was involved in incidents of violence and threats to endanger staff.

Khan was released from HMP Woodhill in Buckinghamshire in December 2018.

Just over two months ago, on November 29, convicted terrorist Usman Khan (pictured) killed two Cambridge graduates before he was fatally shot on London Bridge

Khuram Butt, 27, ringleader of 2017 London Bridge attack that killed eight people

The ringleader of the 2017 London Bridge attack that killed eight people, Butt had been the subject of a two-year investigation by security services.

However the chief coroner, in a report into the atrocity, said police and MI5 did not recognise the threat he posed.

Mark Lucraft QC said this was despite Butt's association with Islamic State fanatic Anjem Choudary and an appearance in the documentary The Jihadi Next Door.

The probe was twice suspended due to pressure on resources and the authorities did not pass on tip-offs about his extremism, including one from a family member.

There was also a two-month delay in translating a request from the Italian authorities for information about his fellow attacker Youssef Zaghba.

An Old Bailey inquest heard that Butt, who was an MI5 subject of interest (SIO), had looked at extremist material online in the months and years before the attack, including propaganda for so-called Islamic State, violent images and sermons from extremist preachers.

Bereaved families said MI5 and counter-terror police should review their assumptions about the weight placed on an SIO's so-called mindset material.

Mr Lucraft said there is no evidence investigators are not capable of making those judgments properly after police and security services pointed out that many SIOs possess such material.

Like Usman Khan and the 2017 London Bridge attackers Khuram Butt (pictured), Rachid Redouane and Yousef Zaghba, Amman went on a knife rampage wearing a fake suicide vest

Butt is pictured on the left appearing in 'The Jihadis Next Door' which aired on January 20, 2016

Khuram Butt, Rachid Redouane and Youssef Zaghba (shown left to right) killed eight people before they themselves were shot dead

Khalid Masood, 52, who killed five people in 2017 Westminster attack

Masood killed five people and injured more than 50 after he mounted the pavement in his car outside the Houses of Parliament and went on a knife rampage.

The 52-year-old Briton was probed by MI5 from as early as 2004, with concerns high enough that he was classified as a threat to national security.

However the file on him was closed in 2012 as it was deemed that he was not considered a serious threat.

Masood, a violent criminal who picked up a string of convictions during his time living in Kent and Sussex, is believed to have converted to Islam while he was serving two prison sentences between 2000 and 2004.

After emerging from prison, he went to Saudi Arabia to teach English in trip a thought to have been inspired by his new-found spirituality.

When he returned from Saudi around 2009, he moved to Luton, a city in which a number of extremists and Islamic radicals were operating.

Theresa May would later tell the House of Commons that 52-year-old Masood was considered a 'peripheral' figure at the time.

Khalid Masood (pictured left) murdered five people (including PC Palmer, right) and injured 50 others when he drove his car into pedestrians outside the Houses of Parliament in March 2017

Salman Abedi, Manchester Arena bomber who killed 22 in 2017

Abedi, the jidahi terrorist who detonated a suicide vest at Manchester Arena in 2017 and killed 22 people, was also known to British security services.

But was not deemed a high risk, despite five community leaders reporting him for extremist views.

A report found a series of failures on behalf of security services, including how he had visited a category A extremist inmate in prison.

Counter-terror police were also alerted to Abedi frequently travelling to Libya from 2014 onwards but he was not made the subject of travel restrictions or monitoring.

Abedi's case was flagged for review, but was not re-examined before he slaughtered parents and children at the Ariana Grande concert

The Abedi family, originally from Libya, fled during the Gaddafi dictatorship with the father returning to fight with opposition forces when the uprising began in 2011.

Both brothers travelled to Libya in April 2017, then Salman returned alone before carrying out the suicide attack in Manchester.

He detonated his device at the end of the concert, with 353 people, including 175 children, around him in the foyer of the venue.

As well as the 22 dead, 16 people suffered serious injuries including paralysis, loss of limbs, internal injuries, and serious facial injuries involving complicated plastic surgery.

Abedi, the jidahi terrorist who detonated a suicide vest at Manchester Arena in 2017 and killed 22 people, was also known to British security services

Manchester Arena bomber Salman Abedi (left) and London Bridge attacker Khuram Butt (right) were both known to MI5 but were not actively being investigated at the time of their attacks

Ahmed Hassan, 18, whose homemade bomb failed to explode at Parsons Green Tube station in 2017

The 18-year-old Iraqi asylum-seeker left a homemade bomb on a District line commuter train in 2017 which partially exploded after the train arrived at Parsons Green station.

He claimed during an asylum interview that he had been trained to kill by ISIS against his will and spent several hours a day in a mosque under their command, receiving religious education.

After those comments, he was brought to the attention of MI5 on February 2 2016 during a discussion with Counter-Terrorism Policing, but he was never made a subject of interest.

Instead he was referred to the Channel mentoring scheme - part of the Prevent de-radicalisaton programme - in February 2016.

It was not until June 2016 that he was made an 'active' Channel case and nine formal meetings were then held of the joint agency Channel panel at which his case was discussed.

However, Hassan was never assigned a mentor, for a six-month period in 2017 there were no panel meetings, and at the time of the attack, the panel was considering closing his case.

Ahmed Hassan (pictured in a mugshot, left, and on the day of his attack, right) was sentenced to life in prison

The bucket bomb (pictured), wrapped in a Lidl cool bag, was built at Hassan's foster home

Darren Osborne, 48, killed one in 2017 Finsbury Park mosque attack

Darren Osborne (pictured) drove a vehicle into a group of people gathered near a mosque in Finsbury Park

Darren Osborne, from Cardiff, drove a vehicle into a group of people gathered near a mosque in Finsbury Park in north London on June 19, 2017, killing Makram Ali.

He was said to have had an extensive criminal history dating back to 1984, including 33 convictions for 102 offences ranging from offences against the person to drugs and theft.

He had not been investigated by MI5 or Counter-Terrorism Police before launching his attack and was 'not known to be a member of, or have links to, any extremist right-wing groups.'

Osborne first appeared a court in his home town of Weston Super Mare aged 15 in 1984. Before the terror attack, he was last in court in 2014.

He had planned to drive into crowds attending a pro-Palestinian march inLondon in June last year, and he claimed he hoped to kill Labour leader Jeremy Corbyn and London mayor Sadiq Khan.

But road closures meant he couldn't get near the march and, after driving around London looking for Muslim targets, he drove at a group of people outside the Muslim Welfare House in Finsbury Park.

Sudesh Amman, 20, stabbed two people in Streatham in 2020

Amman was a convicted terrorist under police surveillance having recently been freed from prison when he went on a knife rampage in Streatham.

The 20-year-old bearded Islamic fanatic, who was on licence and known for having a fascination with knives, dived into a local convenience store to steal a £3.99 blade before embarking on a bloody stabbing spree.

Wearing a fake suicide vest, he targeted pedestrians at random on the Sunday afternoon, stabbing one man in the stomach, before knifing a female cyclist in the back just after 2pm in Streatham, South London.

Armed police who had been following him closely, were on the scene within minutes, chasing him down the high street shouting 'stop' before opening fire, shooting him dead outside a Boots chemist.

He was jailed in December 2018 for three years and had served only half his more than three year sentence for the possession and distribution of extremist material.

Whitehall sources said he had been very recently released 'despite concerns over his conduct' because the law did not give them the power to keep him locked up.

He was let out at the end of January on 'very stringent' licencing conditions included a curfew, it is understood.

Today, the Prime Minister is expected to come forward with new plans to further crack down on terrorist offenders.