- Zakaria Bulhan, who had moved to London from Norway with his Somali mother, killed an American tourist
- Prosecutors accept pleas to lesser charges and court hears he was suffering from a 'psychotic episode'
- Police ruled out fears the attack was terror-inspired after his history of mental health issues was examined
- Prosecutor says lack of mental health treatment after assessment in London was 'partly behind' attack
- Husband of woman killed says if schizophrenic is released to kill again 'the blood will be on our hands'
carried book telling Muslims to “die a shahid,”
Schizophrenic Zakaria Bulhan (left, as a boy and, right, in a court sketch) has admitted killing an American tourist during a knife rampage in London's Russell Square
A mentally-ill teenager who stabbed an American tourist to death and injured five others in a knife rampage in London's Russell Square was allowed into the UK by European freedom of movement rules, a court heard.
Terrorism was ruled out as a motive, yet the attacker was found with a prayer book entitled Fortress of the Muslim and muttered “Allah, Allah, Allah” on arrest, The Timesreports.
His book contained an extremist Salafist prayer instructing followers to “die a shahid”, before explaining that a shahid is: “One who dies fighting the kafir [unbelievers] in order to make the word of Allah superior or in defence of Islam”.
Witnesses claimed Mr. Bulhan “skipped” towards his victims and had a crazed smile on his face as he killed 64-year-old retired teacher Darlene Horton, who was visiting from Florida, and stabbed five others.
Norwegian national Zakaria Bulhan, 19, killed retired teacher Darlene Horton, 64, just hours before she was due to fly home to Tallahassee, Florida, after visiting the UK with her university professor husband Richard Wagner.
Bulhan's parents emigrated from Somalia to Norway in 1994 and he was born in the Scandinavian country three years later.
The second of three children, he moved to the UK with his mother in 2003 under free movement rules after being granted asylum in Norway.
Norway is part of the European Economic Area (EEA), whose members share freedom of movement with the 28 countries of the EU.
Bulhan, who was living in south-west London at the time of the attack, denied murdering the mother-of-two, but pleaded guilty to manslaughter by reason of diminished responsibility today.
Prosecutors have accepted that schizophrenic Bulhan was in the midst of a psychotic episode at the time after police ruled out a terrorist motive to the attack.
The court heard he was assessed by his local mental health trust on 20 April, but received no further treatment despite acting increasingly 'oddly' before the attack.
Bulhan struck just after 10.30pm on Wednesday 3 August in Russell Square, an area popular with tourists, after visiting the East London Mosque in Whitechapel.
Bulhan (left, as a boy and, right, in a court sketch today) had been brought to Britain from Norway by his Somali mother. He had been assessed by mental health services in London by received no treatment before he carried out the attack
Darlene Horton, from Florida, was in the UK with her husband, Richard Wagner, a visiting university professor, at the time
The knife rampage through the busy London square caused widespread shock in August with victims from around the world
The court heard he ran from the Mosque and was later seen moving erratically along the pavement at Russell Square, walking alongside the park railings and holding a large kitchen knife.
He 'smiled and skipped' towards his first victim before continuing the rampage with a 'crazed smile', the court heard.
Londoner Bernard Hepplewhite, 65, shouted in pain as he was stabbed in the abdomen, having travelled to the West End with a friend to see 'Showboat' on Drury Lane with a friend.
He said his attacker showed no sign of anger and simply skipped straight on towards Australian Lillie Sellentin, 23, who had been to see 'Aladdin' at the Prince Edward theatre and was making her way back to her hotel.
She thought she had been punched when she was struck to the right of her ribcage.
'He showed no emotion as he did so, but carried on moving in the same fashion,' said the prosecutor.
It was only when someone shouted 'he's got a knife' that they realised they had been stabbed before Mr Hepplewhite hailed a passing cab to take them to hospital.
Darlene Horton, 64, had eaten dinner with her husband, Richard Wagner, at a restaurant in Bloomsbury before the pair made their way back to where they were staying through Russell Square.
Mr Wagner said a black male rushed past them and as he did so his wife simply said: 'ouch.'
Mr Wagner described how Bulhan ran past them in a 'haphazard manner, swerving and loping towards members of the public'.
It was only then he saw the knife and warned others: 'This guy is trying to stab people.'
American Martin Hoenisch, 59, was the next to be targeted as Bulhan zig-zagged towards him and stabbed him in the chest.
He was on holiday with his wife and the pair had spent their first evening in London at a restaurant in Covent Garden.
David Imber, 40, who is Australian, had arrived in the UK for a holiday on 1 August and had been to see 'Kinky Boots' at the Adelphi Theatre.
He was also struck to the chest after Bulhan came straight towards him.
The prosecutor said: 'Mr Imber made brief eye contact and describes the male having a 'crazed smile' on his face as if he was enjoying it or that he was under the influence of drugs.'
Israeli Yovel Lewkowski, 18, was in London on a four-day holiday with her family and had spent the evening in the West End before she was knifed in the arm.
'She became considerably distressed, feeling overwhelmed and in a state of shock,' said Mr Heywood.
Bulhan today denied the attempted murder of Mr Hoenisch, Ms Selletin, Mr Imber, Mr Hepplewhite, and Ms Lewkowski.
But he pleaded guilty to alternative charges of wounding with intent after injuring them in the same attack.
Bulhan was carrying a copy of a book called the Fortress of the Muslims - a daily book of Islamic prayers - and was heard muttering 'Allah, Allah,' but a terrorist motive has been ruled out.
Bulhan was living with his mother, step-father and siblings at the time of attacks.
He left school aged 16 and retook his GCSEs at college before dropping out in April 2016 as his mental state deteriorated.
In March last year, he had been referred for treatment for his mental health and his behaviour became more odd leading up to August, the court heard.
Mr Heywood said the pleas were accepted by the Crown having been considered 'at the very highest level'.
He told the judge: 'At the time of these events it has been clearly established the defendant was suffering from an acute episode of a mental illness that has been diagnosed as paranoid schizophrenia.
'That acute episode was a psychotic one, and floridly so, at the time of these events on 3 August 2016.'
Bulhan was assessed by psychiatrists following his arrest on the night of the attack and held in Broadmoor secure hospital where doctors found he was fit to enter pleas.
He told a psychiatrist at Broadmoor he 'felt dreadful' about what he had done.
'I could never have predicted it, it's surreal,' he said. 'I did everything to stop myself becoming ill. I went to the psychiatrist, I went to the Mosque, I did prayers.'
The court heard an assessment on 20 April 2016 carried out by the East Wandsworth mental health trust found Bulhan was not currently psychotic, but had mood and anxiety symptoms that should be treated by his GP.
But his mother said he became more aggressive and she removed the knives from the kitchen following incidents in which he had a knife in the home and took her mobile phone.
He also thought people were putting spells on him when they spat in his direction, said the prosecutor.
Bulhan's father took him to the Mosque in Whitechapel on the day of the attack because he was ill.
But Bulhan ran away and later told a psychiatrist he believed someone blew on him and put spirits inside him.
The Old Bailey heard he also believed people were trying to kill him, the secret service was tracking him and he was possessed by demons.
Appearing in the dock wearing a grey zip-up jacket today, Bulhan spoke only to confirm his name and that he could hear proceedings before entering his pleas.
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