James Furlong

James Furlong was a 36-year-old British history and politics teacher who was murdered in the 2020 Reading stabbings.

He worked as Head of History and Politics at The Holt School in Wokingham, Berkshire (near Reading). Colleagues and students described him as a kind, passionate, dedicated, and engaging teacher who loved history (especially the Tudor period), brought positivity and humour to the classroom, and cared deeply for his students.

On the evening of 20 June 2020, Libyan-born Khairi Saadallah, a 25-year-old asylum seeker and refugee who had lived in the UK since 2012, carried out a jihadist terrorist stabbing attack in Forbury Gardens, Reading.

He randomly attacked people socialising in the park with an 8-inch kitchen knife, killing three men — James Furlong (36), American, Joseph Ritchie-Bennett (39), and David Wails (49) — with single stab wounds to the neck or back, and seriously injuring three others.

Saadallah, who shouted “Allahu Akbar” and referenced jihad during and after the attack, had a history of violence, prior convictions (including knife possession), links to extremists, and was known to MI5. He was arrested minutes later by police.

In January 2021, he pleaded guilty to three counts of murder and three of attempted murder, was convicted of terrorism offences, and received a whole-life prison sentence. An inquest later ruled the attack was probably avoidable due to systemic failures in mental health care, intelligence sharing, and risk management.

Rest in peace James. You will not be forgotten.