On 20 June 2020, shortly before 19:00 BST, a man with a knife attacked people who were socialising in Forbury Gardens, Reading, Berkshire, United Kingdom.

Shortly before 19:00 BST on 20 June 2020, Khairi Saadallah attacked two groups of people socialising[1][2] in Forbury Gardens, a public park in the centre of Reading, about 40 miles (64 km) west of London.

[8][9] Saadallah was chased, tackled and pinned to the ground by police officers on Friar Street – near its junction with the Inner Distribution Road – approximately five minutes after the first 999 call was made.

[18] A family member said he had post-traumatic stress from the civil war and had come to the United Kingdom from Libya in 2012 to escape from violence there, living first in Manchester.

[4][19] In the war, it was claimed that he was part of Ansar al-Sharia,[20] a group now proscribed in the UK, and stated falsely in his asylum application that he was not involved in combat.

[21] He had been released from prison 17 days before the attack, having been sentenced for assault and possessing a bladed article:[4] the UK was unable to deport him because it would have breached his human rights to send him back to Libya.

Police later found images of the World Trade Center and Islamic State flag on his phone, alongside videos about Jihadi John, an ISIS terrorist.

[20] Saadallah also had a crucifix tattoo, had prayed in church and told police that he was both Muslim and Catholic;[28] his defence lawyer argued that this indicated that he did not have a serious devotion to radical Islam.

[50] After appearing at the Old Bailey by video link from Belmarsh Prison, London, for preliminary hearings on 1 and 10 July, the judge set 30 November as a provisional date for a full trial.

Judge Coroner Adrian Fulford, chairing the inquest, concluded that if Saadallah's mental health had been correctly managed, there was a possibility that the attacks would not have happened.

[1][6] Jason Brock, the leader of Reading Borough Council, said he was "shocked and appalled" by the "horrific and senseless attack", expressed his condolences, and thanked the emergency services for their response.

[56] The council issued a statement saying that their "thoughts and prayers are with the families of the three people who lost their lives, and for those who remain seriously injured", and announcing that their flag would fly at half mast for the day.