(Yui Mok/PA via AP).
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The knife attack occurred on Wednesday on the street of Russell Square, a tourist spot near the British Museum. London police say a woman has died and some others were injured in a knife attack in a central part of the city.
London’s Metropolitan Police said Zakaria Bulhan, of London, was charged with the murder of 64-year-old Darlene Horton, and five counts of attempted murder.
Helen Edwards, 33, who lives in the area, was passing through Russell Square when she came across armed police officers, a rare sight in London.
(Sky News via AP).
Police received 999 calls at 10.33pm on Wednesday (August 3) with reports of a man assaulting people with a knife. The operation is meant to up security with an additional 600 officers patrolling in London to protect against any potential terror attack.
Five people were taken to hospital with their injuries, with four of them discharged today.
Pitts said FSU’s students had already left for the summer and were not present during the attack.
Police said mental health issues appeared to have been a factor.
Police used a stun gun to subdue the 19-year-old suspect and arrested him on suspicion of murder.
One victim from London sustained a stabbing wound to the stomach.
However, in the wake of a string of recent attacks in Europe, the authorities said that “terrorism remains one line of inquiry being explored”.
London Metropolitan Police Assistant Commissioner Mark Rowley said: “All of the work we have done so far increasingly points to this tragic incident as having been triggered by mental health issues”.
“We would urge the public to remain calm, alert and vigilant”, Rowley said.
Mr Rowley, Britain’s most senior counter-terrorism officer, said armed officers arrived within six minutes of the call, adding: “The man was Tasered and he was detained”.
The woman who died was identified as an American citizen.
Professor Richard Wagner and his wife, Darlene Horton, had been in London while he taught a summer session at the school’s London Study Program.
“There are no words to express our heartache over this awful tragedy”, FSU President John Thrasher told the paper.
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The five people who were injured in the attack were American, British, Australian and Israeli, police said. All were hospitalized, but three were treated and released.
