Five Years Later: Mother of Cambridge Graduate Killed in London Bridge Terror Attack Recalls Last Conversation, Says It’s Like Her Daughter Knew What Was Coming

The mother of a Cambridge graduate killed in the London Bridge terror attack in 2019 has shared her memories of their last conversation. Saskia Jones, 23, was murdered by terrorist Usman Khan during a rehabilitation event at Fishmongers’ Hall in London on November 29, 2019.

Khan attacked the graduates with two kitchen knives while wearing a fake suicide vest. He was shot dead by police shortly after. Five years later, Michelle Jones recalls her last exchange with Saskia. She remembers her daughter stirring a pot of rice and saying, “I want you to come with us because everybody knows you are my best friend, because you are.”

This final conversation brings some comfort, but Michelle says the loss has created “a permanent hole in my heart.” She waited for hours to hear from her daughter after the attack. It was nine hours later that police officers came to her door and delivered the devastating news of Saskia’s death.

Usman Khan had been released from prison just 11 months before the attack. He served half of a 16-year sentence for plotting a bombing. Despite his extremist views and a history of radicalizing others in prison, officials allowed him to attend the Cambridge event.

In 2021, an inquest jury found that police, probation services, and MI5 had significant failures that contributed to the deaths of both Jones and Jack Merritt. Following the verdict, Michelle and her family criticized the event organizers for inadequate security. Staff were unaware of the inmates’ backgrounds and lacked proper training to manage dangerous individuals.

Key Points:

• Saskia Jones and Jack Merritt were killed by Usman Khan during a rehabilitation event in 2019.

• Michelle Jones remembers a final conversation with her daughter that felt foreboding.

• Usman Khan was a convicted terrorist released despite a history of radicalization.

• An inquest jury found that failures by authorities contributed to the deaths.

• The family criticized event organizers for poor security and insufficient staff training