Third London Attacker Told Police in 2016: ‘I’m Going to Be a Terrorist’

Youssef Zaghba, the third attacker in the London terror hit, told Italian police when he was stopped at Bologna Airport in March of 2016, that he was going to become a terrorist, and was going to commit an act of terror at some point in his life.

Zaghba, 22, specifically said: “I’m going to be a terrorist,” various media reported.

He was the third attacker shot and killed by police during Saturday’s terror hit in Londn.

British and Moroccan authorities had been alerted by Italian intelligence of the March 2016 exchange they had with him at the airport. Then, Zaghba had been buying a one-way ticket to Istanbul.

From Politico:

“He was stopped because he looked ‘agitated,’ one source said. When questioned by police at the airport about the reasons for his journey, he replied, “I’m going to be a terrorist.” He was carrying no luggage.

“Police phoned his mother who, according to the source, said she had been worried about her son because he had been talking about jihad. She told the Italian authorities that Zaghba was working in a Pakistani restaurant in London. The Italian authorities seized his phone and several sim cards but did not arrest him because he had not committed a crime. They did report him to the authorities in Bologna which began proceedings against him for terrorism offences.

“In April 2016 the tribunal stopped the investigation cancelling the order under which Zaghba’s phone had been seized and denying permission for police to retain a copy of his contacts. The investigation found no evidence he had travelled to Syria.

“After the airport stop, Italy’s Internal Intelligence Service passed on details to the liaison officer for the U.K.’s foreign security agency — MI6 — in Italy, who also relayed the information to the U.K.’s domestic security agency MI5.

“The alert to the British authorities was a routine communication about a potential suspect, rather than an emergency red flag, according to the Italian security sources. His name was also added by the police in Bologna to the Schengen Information System — an EU security database.”

So how did this get missed?

How was Zaghba overlooked?

Again, Politico explains:

“Zaghba’s name was initially reported by Il Corriere Della Sera. It was later confirmed by the Metropolitan Police, although they said that formal identification had not yet taken place. “He was not a police or MI5 subject of interest,” a police statement said.

“‘Detectives would like to hear from anyone who has any information about these men that may assist them with the investigation. They are particularly keen to hear about places they may have frequented and their movements in the days and hours before the attacks,’ the statement added.

“Zaghba was born on 26 January 1995 in Fez, Morocco, where he held legal residency, although intelligence sources said recently he had lived with his mother Valeria Collina on the outskirts of Bologna. His father, Mohammed lives in Fez and was born in 1962.

“The family lived together in Morocco until 2015 when the parents got divorced. The son stayed with his father until January 2016. After an argument, he left to live with his mother in Italy. At that point he began flying regularly between London and Bologna.

“Police said Monday that one other attacker, Khuram Shazad Butt, 27, a British citizen born in Pakistan, was already known to police and MI5. The other attacker was named Monday as Rachid Radouane, 30.”

Seven were killed and 48 injured in the attack on London Bridge and Borough Market.