Surrey CC has been accused of ‘negligence’ by the foster parents of the Parsons Green bomber who claim the authority failed to warn them he had been radicalised.
Ahmed Hassan, an Iraqi asylum seeker, was jailed for life aged 18 last year for the Parsons Green attack, which he said he carried out after contacting Islamic State militants.
The attack injured 51 people on a London Tube train in 2017.
His foster parents, Ron and Penny Jones, told the BBC that Surrey County Council knew he had been ‘trained to kill’ and never told them.
The couple, who have looked after nearly 270 children, have not been allowed to foster any more children and say their lives are ‘empty’. They have decided to sue the county council.
The council denies the accusation and says they were completely open with Mr and Mrs Jones.
‘We are defending this claim. However, we acknowledge this has been a very difficult time for Mr and Mrs Jones and their family,’ a spokesperson said.
‘We place a high value on openness with all our foster carers, share information about any risks with them from the outset and continue to keep them informed. This was our approach with Mr and Mrs Jones.’