A terrorist who killed three people in a park in Reading described himself as a “boy soldier” who fought in the Libyan civil war, an inquest has been told.

Khairi Saadallah stabbed to death three men who were meeting in Forbury Gardens, during a brief relaxation in lockdown rules in the middle of the COVID-19 pandemic.

James Furlong, Joseph Ritchie-Bennett and David Wails were killed and three others injured during a 30-second rampage on 20 June 2020.

Saadallah, who was later handed a whole life tariff, had viewed material on the September 11 attacks and was heard yelling “Allahu Akbar” [god is great] and “God accept my jihad”.

Michael Haynes, a counsellor who worked with Saadallah on drug, alcohol and mental health issues, said he had struggled to get help for Saadallah.

He said Saadallah described himself as a “boy soldier” who had fought in the uprising against Colonel Gaddafi in 2011.

In a statement, Mr Haynes told the inquest into the deaths: “He calls himself a boy soldier. I don’t know how old he was, but probably 15 years old.

“He drove trucks, he saw lots of death, and when Colonel Gaddafi was ousted these people turned out to be Muslim fundamentalists.

“Because Khairi didn’t grow his beard and all the rest of it, they started picking on him. He got an electric shock, tortured and a bloke firing in a darkened room where Khairi was and other stuff.”

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Saadallah arrived in Britain around 2015, claiming asylum, and lived initially in Manchester where he suffered from mental health problems, became homeless and got involved with a Somalian gang who attacked him with hammers, leaving scars on his head.

His father was an antiques dealer who was said to be very successful and “had a lot of money” until he fell out with the Gaddafi regime.

His mother was described as a doctor, possibly a psychiatrist, but the couple had split up and lived in different cities in Libya.

Saadallah’s brother, Aiman, with whom he lived for around a year, was a care worker in his mid 30s, who was married with children, the inquest was told.

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