Officials said a Norwegian man of Somali descent who killed one American woman and injured five others in London was “not motivated by terrorism”.
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They include an American man and an Australian man, who were both stabbed in the chest, and an Australian woman who suffered a stab wound to her back.
Police clear barricade tape from Russell Square in London, Thursday, Aug. 4, 2016.
-London Metropolitan Police Assistant Commissioner Mark Rowley said that evidence collected so far “increasingly points” to the attack being “triggered by mental health issues”.
Shyam Sanghani, who runs a shop opposite the scene of the attack, told BBC: “We had more police announced yesterday and then this today, it’s scary”.
Zakaria Bulhan, 19, is accused of murdering retired teacher Darlene Horton, 64, and the attempted murder of two women and three men. He was arrested on suspicion of murder and is in custody at a London police station.
Russell Square is close to the heart of central London and is a popular location for tourist hotels.
“Heartbreaking news that a USA citizen was killed in #RussellSquare attack”.
Norway’s National Criminal Investigation Services has also confirmed that the victim left the country around 2002 and was not sure whether he moved into the United Kingdom (UK).
Wednesday night’s attack came within hours of an announcement by London police that they were putting more armed officers on the streets.
“Police have spoken to him and are seeking to establish the full facts including motives for this attack”, he said.
The London incident followed a series of attacks in other European countries, although Britain had been relatively quite.
Fernando, 40, from Brazil, had not seen the attacker but said the family told police the man was wearing black shorts and a white shirt, and was covering his face as he made sweeping, stabbing motions.
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“Anyone who’s been following events in Europe over the past few weeks will understand why we want to show our determination to protect the public”, Hogan-Howe said.
