Sword-Wielding Man Attacks Passersby in London, Killing 14-Year-Old Boy, Injuring 4 People
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A 36-year-old man has been arrested
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Police stand guard outside Hainault Underground station in London.The incident began shortly before 7 a.m. Tuesday, April 30
Police say they do not believe the rampage is "terror-related," but say they are still investigating “the full circumstances” of the attack
King Charles III expressed his condolences to the victims
A man brandishing a long-bladed sword has been arrested in London after police allege he attacked five people, including a 14-year-old boy who died in the hospital.
The Tuesday, April 30, attack in London’s Hainault neighborhood began shortly before 7 a.m., according to the Metropolitan Police, who said that they responded to multiple reports “of a vehicle being driven into a house in the Thurlow Gardens area” and people being stabbed.
A 36-year-old man — whose name the police have not yet released — was tasered and subsequently arrested 22 minutes after the incident was reported, Chief Superintendent Stuart Bell confirms.
Calling the early-morning incident “truly horrific,” Bell said the boy, who had been stabbed, succumbed to his wounds shortly after arriving at the hospital.
“This incident does not appear to be terror-related,” Bell said, adding that police do not believe there is an ongoing threat or that anyone else was involved in the sword attack.
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Chief Superintendent Stuart Bell at a press conference Tuesday, April 30.As of early Tuesday afternoon London time, two other members of the public were recovering at the hospital, according to Bell, who said their injuries are not considered life-threatening.
Two Metropolitan police officers were also stabbed, sustaining “significant” but not life-threatening injuries that would require surgery, according to Bell.
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An open-doored van is cordoned off Tuesday, April 30, following a sword-attack in East London.Manpreet Singh, who witnessed the sword attack, told BBC Radio 5 Live that he “heard chaos” across the street.
When he turned around, “I saw a group of people, five or six of them, trying to fight off a guy– he had a sword in his hand," he told the radio station.
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About 10 minutes later, Singh saw “seven or eight police cars entering that road,” and “I saw the guy running towards the [tube] station and [he] entered the road opposite the station.”
“He tried to get into one of the houses,” Singh added. “But couldn't get into it and that's when they tasered him.”
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Forensic police officers examine evidence following the sword attack in the East London neighborhood of Hainault, Tuesday, April 30.Bell said police are investigating a motive behind the attack.
“I know the families of those involved, the community and many across London will want to know why this terrible incident happened,” Bell said, adding: “Our investigation is in its very early stages and my officers are working to establish the full circumstances as a priority.”
King Charles III has asked “to be kept fully informed as details of the incident become clearer,” a Buckingham Palace spokesperson tells PEOPLE.
“His thoughts and prayers are with all those affected — in particular, the family of the young victim who has lost his life,” the spokesperson added. “And he salutes the courage of the emergency services who helped contain the situation.”
Additional reporting by Simon Perry in London
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