LONDON (AP) – A woman has died and five others were injured in a knife attack in a central part of London, police said Thursday.
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Police arrested the teenager after reports of a stabbing spree in Russell Square, a quiet area close to several popular tourist attractions including the British Museum.
The 19 year-old attacker was arrested six minutes later with one of the officers firing a Taser electroshock gun.
Police are not ruling terrorism out as a motive, but say mental health is “significant”.
“A woman who I spoke to said that police told her that a gang of some sort was involved – and that they fled south or south west – but that is just speculation”.
The woman, who has not been identified but is believed to have been in her 60s, died and two women and three men received “various injuries” in the attack in Russell Square late on Wednesday. Police say mental health is “a significant factor in this case”, but are continuing to investigate terrorism as a line of inquiry.
Paramedics gave the woman ” extensive treatment” at the scene but she could not be saved.
Though it’s located in central London – which is usually busy on summer nights – Russell Square isn’t particularly bustling when compared to other nearby neighborhoods, which are home to more restaurants and bars.
The five injured people are British, American, Israeli and Australian. “Officers attended the scene along with the London Ambulance Service”, the statement said.
Even with the additional armed officers, most of London’s 31,000 police officers will not be armed.
“Bystander Abdulrahman Muammar wrote on Twitter: “#London Russell Square locked down & surrounded with police officers.
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“In some of our big iconic locations, we’ve already got armed patrols – if you look at Parliament, Downing Street – so it’s not entirely new”, Metropolitan Police chief Bernard Hogan-Howe said Wednesday.
