The suspect in the Reading terror attack was diagnosed with post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD), depression and an emotionally unstable personality disorder, the Guardian understands.
Khairi Saadallah, 25, who is being detained under terrorism powers after the stabbings on Saturday that left three people dead, was granted asylum in Britain after fleeing the Libyan civil war.
While the killings were declared a terrorist incident, multiple sources, including intelligence agencies, have said mental health appears to have been a significant factor.
Official documents seen by the Guardian describe Saadallah’s “various mental health issues” as well as struggles with debt and homelessness, and alcohol misuse.
Berkshire Healthcare NHS foundation trust previously declined to comment on reports that the suspect was an outpatient being treated for mental health conditions. A statement from David Townsend, the trust’s chief operating officer, said: “On behalf of everyone at Berkshire Healthcare, I would like to express our deepest condolences to the families and friends of those who sadly died at Forbury Gardens in Reading yesterday.
“Our thoughts are with everyone affected by this incident, including those members of the public who provided first aid at the scene, and the police officers who responded so quickly. As this is an ongoing police investigation, we are not able to provide any information.”
Saadallah was on the radar of MI5 in the middle of last year, sources said, when he was briefly under investigation as a person who might travel abroad “for extremist reasons”. The inquiry was closed relatively quickly without any action taken as no genuine threat or immediate risk was identified.
At the time of his arrest he was living in temporary accommodation in a block of flats on Basingstoke Road in Reading. He and at least one close family member are understood to have spent a short time in Manchester before moving to the Berkshire town.
Adam, whose girlfriend and her children live in the block of flats, said Saadallah moved into the property about a year ago. He said he believed the suspect had mental health issues, and he had seen him on Saturday morning, hours before the attack. “He seemed his normal self, I just said hello,” he said.
Kieran Vernon, 26, who said he knew the suspect as “K” because he could not pronounce his name, said he met the suspect a few weeks ago. “He was so normal, I never would have expected this … he’d just chat like a normal person, he wouldn’t beat around the bush.”
source https://www.theguardian.com/uk-news/2020/jun/22/reading-terror-suspect-had-ptsd-other-mental-health-issues-khairi-saadallah
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