LONDON – A man armed with a sword launched an attack on civilians and police officers in an eastern London suburb early on Tuesday, resulting in the death of a 13-year-old boy and injuries to four others, according to authorities.
Police stated that a 36-year-old man was apprehended in a residential zone close to Hainault underground station. The incident is not considered to be terrorism-related or a “targeted attack.”
Two police officers were hospitalised with stab wounds, while two additional people sustained injuries.
The Metropolitan Police reported that they responded early on Tuesday to accounts of a vehicle crashing into a house on a residential road and multiple people being stabbed near the Hainault underground station.
No further details were immediately provided.
British media footage depicted a man wearing a yellow hoodie and wielding a long sword or knife while walking near homes in the vicinity.
Eyewitnesses recounted hearing police officers shouting at the suspect, instructing him to drop his weapon as they pursued him.
A witness was quoted by the British media as saying that he heard shrieking before seeing a yellow-dressed male jumping over some fences at about 7am.
“I heard shouting, I heard shrieking — I thought ‘who would be shrieking at this time in the morning?’ The shrieking sounded like the police — you know when they are ordering someone to stop or to get on their knees or something — it was like that. It was like ‘stop where you are, put that down, put that down’ — that kind of thing,” said the witness.
