13-year-old child killed, suspect arrested

Two police officers were attacked in London on Tuesday, in Hainault in the east of the city. In images circulating on social media, we see a man with a short beard, wearing a yellow hooded sweatshirt and holding a large blade in his hand that police describe as a“sword”rushing towards the two agents.

In a press release, the police specified that they had been called “shortly before 7 a.m.” this Tuesday morning in this area of ​​London, to report that a vehicle had crashed into a house in the Thurlow Gardens area. Reports also included “people who have been stabbed”. Police arrested the 36-year-old suspect. According to testimonies collected on site, the man in police custody attacked passers-by as well as “two police officers”.

The London Ambulance Service clarified on X (formerly Twitter) that it “taken care of five people” taken to hospital. “We are waiting for information on the condition of the injured people”the police further indicated, specifying that this attack “does not appear to be linked to terrorism”.

According to a police source, a 13-year-old child was killed. “It is with great sadness that I can confirm that one of those injured in the attack, a 13-year-old boy, has died.”announced police chief Stuart Bell in a statement to the press.

A van

Quoted by The Telegraph , a witness says he saw a man “run around with a samurai sword” Who “stabbed four people after crashing his van into a house”.

On social networks, unverified videos are circulating where we see a man holding a large blade, running in a housing estate. Hainault metro station “is closed due to a police investigation in the neighborhood”published the London transport company on X.

London Mayor Sadiq Khan said “absolutely devastated” by this attack. “The area has been secured (…) and additional reassurance patrols will be carried out in the area,” said the councilor.

Knife and sword attacks are on the rise in the United Kingdom and are widely publicized. According to official figures, they increased by 7% last year to almost 50,000 in England and Wales. In London, they skyrocketed by 20% with 14,577 attacks recorded, returning more or less to their level before the Covid-19 pandemic.