Streatham attack: Police raid properties in Bishop’s Stortford and south London following stabbing

Anti-terror police have raided a property in south London and another in Bishop’s Stortford in Hertfordshire following a terror attack in south London on Sunday.

The property on Leigham Court Road in Streatham is believed to be a bail hostel the attacker had been living in for less than two weeks after he was released from prison.

Metropolitan Police cordoned off the three-storey building on Monday and are continuing to search it following a terror attack on Sunday.

Two people were stabbed in Streatham High Street by convicted terrorist Sudesh Amman, who was shot dead by police at the scene.

Amman, 20, had a device strapped to his body which Met Police confirmed was a hoax.​ He only served half of his sentence of three years and four months.

Deputy Assistant Commissioner Lucy D’Orsi said: “Armed officers, who were part of a pro-active counter-terrorism surveillance operation and were following the suspect on foot, were in immediate attendance and shot a male suspect dead at the scene.

“The suspect had been recently released from prison, where he had been serving a sentence for Islamist-related terrorism offences.”

Three victims were taken to hospitals in south London after the attack. One man, in his 40s, is no longer considered to be in a life-threatening condition following treatment, police said.

A woman, in her 50s, who had non-life threatening injuries has been discharged from hospital. The third victim, a woman in her 20s, received minor injuries believed to have been caused by shattered glass and is still receiving treatment.

A maintenance worker for the hostel who did not want to be named said he last saw Amman on Friday and added: "Everyone has their own rooms in there. The last time I saw him, I was doing his radiator, setting up his heating on Friday. He didn't speak much."

Residents in the area expressed concern that "people like that" were living near them.

Andrei Marius, a 40-year-old builder, said: "I've always known the building was a bail hostel. We read the news about what happened, so we thought it was linked.

"It's madness. It's not really safe for us to have people like that living close to our homes."

Another neighbour, 62-year-old Fatima Amaral, said: "When I first moved here my eldest son told me not to because there was a hostel in front of the house, but I have never felt threatened.

"I feel safe here, but this is really scary. I feel like I should be locking the doors even more often."

Home Secretary Priti Patel said on Sunday the government will release new plans to stop the early release of convicted extremists, as well as double terror sentences and overhaul conditions under which they are released back into the community.

She said the government will be "announcing some fundamental changes, in addition to what we've already said, that we will do to deal with counter-terrorism and counter-terrorist offenders".

Additional reporting by agencies