A 14-year-old boy died and five others, including the attacker, were injured in an attack by a man armed with a sword in north-east London today. Two of the intervening police officers are among the injured.
The police have arrested the alleged perpetrator, the attack is not being investigated as terrorism. A representative of the London police, Louisa Rolfe, said at an early evening press conference that the detained 36-year-old man is in hospital and has been arrested on suspicion of murder.
“It is with great sadness that I can confirm that one of those injured in the attack, a 13-year-old boy, has died,” Police Commissioner Stuart Bell said, according to AFP.
The police subsequently corrected the age of the deceased. According to her, an interview with the family revealed that the boy was 14 and not 13 years old, the BBC reported.
In connection with the incident at the Hainault metro station, the authorities spoke of five injured people being taken to hospital, which was later confirmed by a representative of the London Ambulance Service, referred to by the BBC.
A 36-year-old man was arrested after police arrived at the scene of an incident near Hainault metro station, where a car had rammed into a house.
Responding to “extensive speculation” about the suspect, police said they had found no record of any previous criminal offences. Police representative Rolfe noted that due to his injuries, the police have not yet interviewed the arrested person.
Rolfe also reiterated that the person in question clearly no longer poses a danger to the wider area. However, a large number of police officers will remain in the area.
“We do not believe there is any further danger to the wider area,” Ade Adelekan of the Metropolitan Police said in an earlier police statement. She also stated that the incident is apparently not related to terrorism and that she is not looking for other suspects. However, according to Rolfe, the police are interested in any relevant information, including from witnesses to the event.
Images released by British media show a man wearing a yellow hooded sweatshirt holding a long sword or knife walking near houses in the area. According to witnesses, police could be heard shouting for the suspect to put down his gun and asking people in the area to lock themselves in their homes as they chased the suspect, the AP reported.
Rolfe urged citizens to always carefully consider what they put on social networks. According to her, people should take into account the impact of spreading content related to the attack on the relatives of the injured.
Prime Minister Rishi Sunak called the incident “shocking” on the X social network and said “such violence has no place on our streets”. London’s mayor said the child’s death “breaks his heart,” according to the BBC. He also commended the responding police officers for their heroism in protecting the public from the attacker.
