London Mayor Sadiq Khan on Tuesday appointed politician and national security expert Toby Harris to complete a new and wide-ranging independent report to improve London's preparedness for a major terrorist incident.
"Nothing is more important to me than keeping Londoners safe," Khan said in a statement. "Londoners have a right to expect us to be prepared for any potential attack on our city, and that is why I have asked Lord Harris to undertake a fresh review into London's preparedness," he noted.
The new review, which begins on Wednesday, will consider the changing threat of terrorism London is facing as well as London's immediate and long-term preparedness for an attack amid the pandemic.
According to the statement, the mayor has recognized that extremists are set on exploiting the uncertainty and hardship caused by the pandemic for their own gain.
Khan mentioned the 2017 Manchester Arena suicide bombing, as well as the stabbings in Streatham and at Fishmongers' Hall in recent years, saying these cases mean there is much more to be learned.
On May 22, 2017, an Islamist extremist suicide bomber detonated a homemade bomb when people were leaving the Manchester Arena following a concert by American singer Ariana Grande. Over 20 people died and around 100 were injured during the attack.
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