A 14-year-old boy was killed and four others were hospitalized on Tuesday morning after a man armed with a sword carried out an attack near a tube station in northeast London, police said.
Shortly before 7am, emergency services were called to the scene after reports that a car had crashed into a house and several people had been stabbed near Hainault station.
Police said the suspect apparently attacked other people and two police officers. Four people are still in hospital and their injuries are not believed to be life-threatening. Both police officers will need surgery, the Metropolitan Police said.
Images showed a man with a knife as a man recounted how the suspect was involved in a standoff with police in an alleyway in the Thurlow Gardens area.
A 36-year-old man was arrested. Police said they were not looking for any other suspects.
Here’s everything we know so far about the Hainault tube station stabbing:
How did the incident happen?
The Metropolitan Police said officers were initially called because a vehicle had driven into a house shortly before 7am.
Police said there were reports that people were stabbed during the incident and that the suspect subsequently apparently attacked other bystanders and two police officers.
A witness to the incident in Hainault said he heard a screaming noise around 7am before seeing a man jump over some fences.
Another man reported that a suspect was involved in a standoff with police in an alley in the Thurlow Gardens neighborhood before hearing a “big commotion” and the screams of a woman.
The man, who wished to remain anonymous, told the PA news agency he saw a man jumping over fences from his back window and heard someone shout: “He has a huge knife.”
How did the emergency services react?
The Metropolitan Police, London Ambulance Service and London Fire Brigade rushed to the scene of the accident on Tuesday morning.
Police arrested a 36-year-old man and five people were taken to hospital. A 14-year-old boy was taken to hospital after being stabbed and died a short time later.
“The events of this morning are truly horrific and I cannot even begin to imagine how those affected must feel,” Police Commissioner Stuart Bell told reporters in Hainault.
“My thoughts are with those injured, their families and the wider community as we all begin to process and understand what has happened here.
“I know there will be – clearly and understandably – a desire for answers and explanations. Our investigation is still at a very early stage and my officers are currently working primarily to establish all the facts. We will communicate what we can to the general public when we can.”
A LAS spokesman said they were called to the incident at 6:54am this morning.
They sent resources to the scene, including ambulance crews, doctors in emergency vehicles, paramedics and the London Ambulance Helicopters.
A spokesman said: “Working with our emergency service partners, we treated five people at the scene and transported all five to hospital.”
London Fire Brigade said it had been called to assist with the incident. A spokesman said: “Firefighters have been mobilised to assist police and colleagues from the London Ambulance Service with an incident near Hainault tube station.
“The crews assisted London Ambulance Service crews in providing immediate emergency care.”
Was the incident related to terrorism?
British police said the incident was unlikely to be linked to terrorism.
