Parsons Green Attacker Appears In Court, New Details On Tube Bombing Emerge
The man responsible for injuring 30 people riding the London Underground’s District Line train to Parsons Green on the morning of Friday, September 15, made his first appearance in court earlier today, September 22. During this preliminary hearing, details, which had not been previously made aware to the public, emerged regarding exactly what the bomb was constructed of and the potential casualties the attack could have caused.
According to the London Evening Standard, 18-year-old Ahmed Hassan Mohammed Ali, as he gave his name to the magistrate, was charged with both attempted murder and intent to danger life and/or cause serious injury on the day of the Parsons Green explosion. Eyewitnesses from inside the courtroom listened on as information surrounding the ingredients of the bomb itself came to light, later giving statements that the accused appeared to show no remorse whatsoever and did not seem all that affected by the proceedings.
The explosive, reveals CNN, was loaded with knives, metal shrapnel, and screws. Prosecutors argued that the Parsons Green terrorist’s device had been filled with several hundred grams of the same type of bombing substance used during the Paris attacks. One of these explosives is rumored to be triacetone triperoxide, or TATD. The addition of the aforementioned ingredients is said to have been implemented in order to maximize destruction and potential loss of life, or at the very least cause serious injury.
Ahmed Hassan is said to have remained impassive throughout the hearing, presenting no emotion as the court heard details of his crime and prosecutors paid tribute to the damage it had caused to some of those involved, including one woman who is now facing up to 18 months of rehabilitation after suffering extensive burns to her legs. BBC reports that the teenager did not enter a plea regarding the two charges laid against him following the Parsons Green bombing, and has since been remanded into custody until his next court appearance, set for October 13 at the Old Bailey.
In the wake of not only this most recent terror attack, but also the previous four to take place since the beginning of 2017, England authorities have gone to grounds in order to apprehend anybody they feel sympathizes with these heinous acts and would possibly seek to create their own show of extremism. Yesterday, September 21, The Independent revealed that fellow teenager Taha Hussain was arrested after it was discovered he had been posting terrorist propaganda on social media websites, and had also appeared alongside Khuram Butt in a terror documentary titled The Jihadis Next Door. Butt was head of the gang who orchestrated this June’s horrendous attack on London Bridge, killing eight civilians and wounding 48, with 21 of these individuals suffering critical injuries. Hussain will reportedly be held in a penitentiary for over four years.
[Featured Image by Kirsty Wigglesworth/AP Images]
