At least one dead, four injured in London stabbing attack, man arrested

London Mayor Sadiq Khan said he was “absolutely devastated” by the attack on Tuesday morning.

A 36-year-old man attacked passers-by with a sword on the morning of Tuesday April 30 in Hainault, east London. The latest report established by the authorities shows one dead and four injured, including two police officers. “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.

The police say they were called “shortly before 7 o’clock” near a metro station, with witnesses saying that “people had been stabbed.” The incident “does not appear to be linked to terrorism”, still according to the police who arrested the individual.

Images posted on social media and picked up by British media show a slightly bearded white man, dressed in black pants and a yellow hoodie, sword in hand, walking erratically in front of houses, while cars police surround the scene.

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.”

Knife and sword attacks are on the rise in the United Kingdom and are widely publicized. According to official figures, they increased by 7% in 2023, 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.