UK: 13-year-old boy killed, several others stabbed by sword-wielding man

A 13-year-old boy was killed and several other people were stabbed by a swordwielding man in London on Tuesday, The New York Times reported citing authorities.

The child, a 13-year-old boy, died after being taken to a hospital, Stuart Bell, a spokesman for the Metropolitan Police, said in a news conference.

The stabbing spree left four others injured, Bell said, including two police officers. All four remain hospitalized, he said.

The mass stabbing incident took place in northeast London while the morning commute was beginning on Tuesday, The New York Times reported.

The attacker has been identified as a 36-year-old man who was later arrested at the incident site.

Just before 7 a.m., the police received reports of a vehicle being driven into a house and multiple people being stabbed in Hainault, a neighborhood in northeast London, The New York Times reported citing the Metropolitan Police.

Video of the incident circulating on social media showed a man wearing a yellow sweatshirt wielding a large sword in the middle of several houses in the neighborhood.

The suspect, who has not been named, went on to attack more members of the public and two police officers, the police said.

The London Ambulance Service reported that five people were taken to a hospital, however 13-year-old boy succumbed to injuries, The New York Times reported.

Ade Adelekan, the deputy assistant commissioner for the Metropolitan Police, said there was no ongoing threat to the community and that the incident did not appear to be terror-related.

London Mayor Sadiq Khan said in a statement that he was devastated by the news and that additional patrols would be added to the area.

“The police officers and emergency services showed the best of our city — running toward danger to protect others and I thank them from the bottom of my heart,” he said, The New York Times reported.

James Cleverly, Britain’s home secretary, said on social media that he was being regularly updated about the incident. He urged people not to speculate or share footage of the episode online.

Knife crime has been on the rise across England and Wales for about a decade, according to the Office for National Statistics. Knife crime recorded by the police in the year ending September 2023 increased by 5 percent, to nearly 49,000 offenses, compared with the previous year, the data showed, although it was lower than in 2020. (ANI)