A knife attack in London has left one woman dead and five others injured. The incident took place in Russell Square, a park in central London, late Wednesday, August 3.
Police were called to the scene around 10:30 p.m. local time, according to the Associated Press. Russell Square is considered a popular tourist attraction located near upscale hotels and museums.
The victim killed was reportedly an American in her sixties, and those hurt were from the United States, Britain, Israel and Australia. Two who were wounded remain in the hospital while the rest have been discharged.
As of now, the Metropolitan Police Assistant Commissioner Mark Rowley believes that the situation was not an act of terrorism.
Authorities have since arrested a 19-year-old man on suspicion of murder, the AP reports. They used a stun gun to subdue him, and they have yet to release his identity. Metropolitan Police Commissioner Bernard Hogan-Howe said in a statement that “mental health remains a substantial focus for our investigation.”
The incident came just hours after Rowley announced that 600 more armed police officers would be on call due to recent attacks across Europe. (Back in March, a terrorist attack at a Brussels airport killed 32 people. In June, 41 were killed during a suicide bomber attack at the Istanbul airport in Turkey. Last month, more than 80 people were killed when a man drove a truck into a crowd celebrating Bastille Day in Nice, France.)
“As a precautionary measure (Thursday), Londoners will wake up and in the morning they will notice increased police presence on the streets, including armed officers,” Rowley told reporters Wednesday. “This is there to provide reassurance and safety. We ask the public to remain calm, vigilant and alert.”
Story is developing.
