Leytonstone Tube attack: 'IS supporter' gets life sentence
Muhiddin Mire, who has paranoid schizophrenia, told police his rampage was in retaliation for airstrikes in Syria
A man inspired by Islamic extremism to attack Tube passengers with a bread knife, slashing the throat of one, has been given a life sentence, with a minimum of eight and a half years.
Muhiddin Mire, aged 30, launched what The Sun calls a "crazed attack" on Lyle Zimmerman, a 56-year-old musician, and threatened four others in the ticket hall of London's Leytonstone Underground station on 5 December 2015.
The incident came just weeks after last year's terror attacks in Paris in which 130 people died, the Evening Standard notes. Mire, who has paranoid schizophrenia, told police that the rampage was in retaliation for coalition airstrikes in Syria that had taken place three days previously.
Subscribe to The Week
Escape your echo chamber. Get the facts behind the news, plus analysis from multiple perspectives.
Sign up for The Week's Free Newsletters
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
Doctors giving evidence to the hearing were divided over whether Mire's mental illness was the sole reason for the attack, says The Guardian: "One doctor told the judge it was possible for Mire's obsession with Islamic terrorism to be separate from the illness."
Ultimately Judge Nicholas Hilliard sided with this assessment. Sentencing the Somali-born knifeman at the Old Bailey, the judge said that while he accepted Mire was suffering from paranoid schizophrenia at the time, he also believed he was motivated by events in Syria.
Mire has been given a "hybrid hospital" order, says The Mirror, meaning he will serve his sentence at Broadmoor psychiatric hospital. "However, if he is deemed to no longer need hospital treatment before his sentence is up, he will be taken to prison to serve the remainder of it."
During the attack, one onlooker shouted to Mire "You ain't no Muslim, bruv", a phrase which ended up trending on Twitter. Another eyewitness, Dave Pethers, denied that he had been a hero for confronting Mire, telling Good Morning Britain on ITV that "anyone could have done it".
Leytonstone Tube stabbing: man charged with attempted murder
07 December 2015
The man arrested after a knife attack at Leytonstone Tube station on Saturday evening has been charged with attempted murder.
Muhaydin Mire, 29, from Leytonstone, will appear at Westminster Magistrates Court later today.
A 56-year-old man suffered serious but not life-threatening injuries in the attack and is recovering in hospital. A second man was slightly injured and a woman was threatened but unhurt.
Witnesses claim the knifeman shouted "this is for mother Syria" and "all of your blood will be spilled" as he wielded his knife.
The Metropolitan Police has confirmed that it is treating the attack as a terrorist incident, but early reports suggest that the incident was not a planned or co-ordinated attack, says The Times.
Armed patrols will be increased across the capital's transport network as Commander Richard Walton, who leads the Met's counter-terrorism command, warned that further attacks are possible.
"I would continue to urge the public to remain calm, but alert and vigilant," he said.
Last week's Commons vote to launch air strikes in Syria prompted fears that an attack could take place on UK streets, but Labour's John Cryer said it would be dangerous to link it to the "barbaric" attack.
Footage of Saturday's incident, recorded by bystanders on their mobile phones, shows police using a Taser to stun the attacker, before disarming him and placing him under arrest.
[[{"type":"media","view_mode":"content_original","fid":"87877","attributes":{"class":"media-image"}}]]
In some of the recordings, a bystander can be heard calling out: "You ain't no Muslim, bruv."
The term quickly began trending across social media, with many arguing that it was the "perfect London response" to such an attack.
Create an account with the same email registered to your subscription to unlock access.
Sign up for Today's Best Articles in your inbox
A free daily email with the biggest news stories of the day – and the best features from TheWeek.com
-
What's behind Trump's last-minute merch push?
Today's Big Question With just weeks to go before the election, Donald Trump is spending the waning days of his campaign hawking a suite of new products, from silver coins to cryptocurrency
By Rafi Schwartz, The Week US Published
-
Kamala Harris' plan to raise taxes on corporations and the wealthy
the explainer Tweaks, rather than sweeping overhauls, characterize the Democratic nominee's proposals
By David Faris Published
-
Rowan Jacobsen's 6 favorite books that explore our relationship with food
Feature The award-winning author recommends works by Harold McGee, Kristin Kimball, and more
By The Week US Published
-
What we know about the Copenhagen mall shooting
Speed Read Lone gunman had mental health issues and not thought to have terror motive, police say
By The Week Staff Published
-
Texas school shooting: parents turn anger on police
Speed Read Officers had to be urged to enter building where gunman killed 21 people
By The Week Staff Published
-
DJ Tim Westwood denies multiple sexual misconduct allegations
Speed Read At least seven women accuse the radio and TV presenter of predatory behaviour dating back three decades
By The Week Staff Published
-
What happened to Katie Kenyon?
Speed Read Man charged as police search for missing 33-year-old last seen getting into van
By The Week Staff Last updated
-
Brooklyn subway shooting: exploring New York’s ‘steep decline in law and order’
Speed Read Last week, a gunman set off smoke bombs and opened fire on a rush-hour train in the city
By The Week Staff Last updated
-
How the Capitol attack investigation is splitting the Republicans
Speed Read Vote to censure two Republican representatives has revealed deep divisions within party
By The Week Staff Published
-
Is sentencing a Nazi sympathiser to read Shakespeare an appropriate punishment?
Speed Read Judge seemed to think introducing student ‘to high culture’ would ‘magically make him a better person’ said The Daily Telegraph
By The Week Staff Published
-
Sarah Everard’s murder: a national reckoning?
Speed Read Wayne Couzen’s guilty plea doesn’t ‘tidy away the reality of sexual violence’
By The Week Staff Last updated