Suspect in London sword attack appears in court on murder charge in death of teenage boy
LONDON (AP) — A man accused of brandishing a sword in a rampage in London that killed a teenage boy, severely injured two police officers and wounded two men appeared in court Thursday to face charges of murder and attempted murder.
Marcus Arduini Monzo, 36, who has dual Spanish and Brazilian citizenship, is charged with murder in the death of Daniel Anjorin, 14, who was slain as he walked to school Tuesday morning in a northeast London suburb.
Prosecutor David Burns said Monzo crashed his van in Hainault before 7 a.m. Tuesday, striking a man. He then got out of the van and told the man he would kill him before cutting his neck.
He then broke into a home nearby, where a couple was asleep with their 4-year-old daughter. He shouted about believing in God and attacked the girl’s father, wounding his neck and arm.
Monzo then ambushed Anjorin, slashing his neck and stabbing him in the chest as he lay on the ground.
When police officers arrived and tried to help the boy, Monzo jumped from bushes and bolted, Burns said. The officers gave chase and Monzo lunged at a female constable, who received “horrifically serious injuries," police Commissioner Mark Rowley told LBC Radio.
Rowley acknowledged that the officer nearly lost a hand and said surgeons spent hours “basically putting her arm back together."
The woman officer's partner also suffered serious arm and hand injuries in the confrontation.
Reinforcements from the force later cornered Monzo and used a stun gun to subdue him and take him into custody.
Police have said the incident was not treated as terrorism-related and that it didn’t appear to be targeted.
Monzo, wearing a gray sweatsuit and holding his left arm across his chest from his injury in the van crash, did not enter a plea in Westminster Magistrates’ Court and was held in custody. Another hearing was scheduled Tuesday in the Central Criminal Court known as the Old Bailey.
He is charged with two counts each of attempted murder and grievous bodily harm along with single counts of aggravated burglary and possession of a bladed article.
The court appearance came as London voters go to the polls to elect their mayor and local council members after a campaign where crime and trust in the capital’s police force were major issues.
Rowley, who leads the Metropolitan Police Service, applauded his officers for running toward danger. He said they arrived 12 minutes after receiving the first call and the suspect was detained 10 minutes later.
