British police were holding a 19-year-old man on suspicion of murder Thursday August 4, 2016 after a central London stabbing spree that killed a United States woman but appeared unrelated to terrorism.
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The American woman killed in a London knife attack was married to a Florida State University psychology professor teaching overseas, university officials said Thursday.
Wagner and his wife were in London while he taught in the summer session at FSU’s London Study Program.
Rick Scott said in a tweet Thursday afternoon: “Extremely saddened to hear about the loss of Darlene Horton in London”.
Mark Rowley, the Metropolitan Police Service’s Assistant Commissioner for Specialist Operations, said police believe the mental health of the suspect to be a “significant factor” in the case, but cautioned that it is just one of several lines of inquiry.
“There are no words to express our heartache over this bad tragedy”, Florida State University President John Thrasher said.
A statement from FSU’s director of global programs James Pitts said the couple had planned to return to Tallahassee Thursday, one day after the fatal attack.
Police used a Taser while detaining the 19-year-old suspect and he was later formally arrested on suspicion of murder.
The Wednesday night attack in London’s Russell Square left five others injured.
The American tourist killed in the stabbing attack in London’s Russell Square has been named.
U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry described the attack as a “horrific mass stabbing”, and said he grieves for the victims.
The schoolmate, who went to Graveney School in Tooting, south London, with Bulhan and wished to remain anonymous, said: “It’s one of the most shocking things I have ever heard”.
London mayor Sadiq Khan called for “calm and vigilance” after the attack and said peoples safety “is my number one priority”. The four others were treated and released.
Among the two women and three men also injured were US, British, Australian and Israeli nationals.
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“Whilst the investigation is not yet complete – all of the work that we have done so far, increasingly points to this tragic incident as having been triggered by mental health issues”, he said, adding that embassies of the victims’ countries of origin had been informed.
