Parsons Green bomber jailed for 34 years

Ahmed Hassan, 18, has been sentenced to life imprisonment with a minimum term of 34 years for the attempted murder of over 50 people in the Parsons Green District line bombing. The attack occurred on September 15, 2017, when a device partially exploded on a train carriage.

The Attack and Its Aftermath

At 8.20am on September 15, 2017, a fireball erupted on a District line train at Parsons Green. The explosion caused burn injuries to 23 passengers, with a further 28 people injured in the subsequent panic. Witnesses at the Old Bailey trial described a loud bang and flames spreading through the carriage. One victim, who suffered burns to her face, hair, legs, and hands, recounted jumping from the carriage and landing on her knees. Another passenger described her hair catching fire as the fireball passed over her.

Officer's Brave Actions

While other passengers fled the station, Army officer Lt Col Craig Palmer moved towards the scene. He took three photographs of the device, which was in a carrier bag and appeared to be burning with wires protruding. Col Palmer provided these images to police to aid their investigation and used his knowledge of improvised explosive devices to assist emergency services. He told the court that he suspected it was an IED and that the device was still venting fumes, posing a risk of further explosion. He described his actions as a calculated risk, stating there was a 50/50 chance he could die if it detonated. For his actions, Col Palmer was awarded the Queen's Commendation for Bravery.

Conviction and Sentencing

Investigators identified Ahmed Hassan, then 18, as the perpetrator. Hassan, who arrived in the UK as an asylum seeker from Iraq, had built the bomb at his foster parents' home in Sunbury, Surrey. He travelled to Wimbledon and boarded a District line train, leaving the device before getting off at Putney Bridge. Police arrested him in Dover on September 16, 2017. He was found guilty of attempted murder at the Old Bailey. Mr Justice Haddon-Cave stated the verdict was based on "overwhelming evidence". Hassan's appeal against his sentence in January 2019 was unsuccessful.

Prevent Programme and Lessons Learned

It emerged during the trial that Hassan had been referred to the government's Prevent counter-extremism programme in early 2016. However, he reportedly waited months for deradicalisation support and had been referred to specialists but had not yet received clearance at the time of the attack. Former Security minister Ben Wallace acknowledged that "lessons to be learned" were present in the case. David Munro, the Surrey Police and Crime Commissioner, stated that "opportunities were missed" to prevent the attack, telling BBC Radio 4's World at One programme that "all the organisations involved" were too slow.