Credit, PA Media
Updated 5 hours ago
At least four people were injured and a 14-year-old boy died in east London this Tuesday morning (30/4) after an attack by a man carrying a sword.
Police called it a “truly horrific” attack.
Footage captured by witnesses showed a man being chased by police carrying a sword. The 36-year-old man was detained.
Where and when did the attack take place?
The case occurred in Hainault, a suburban area of Ilford, which is part of the London borough of Redbridge.
Hainault is part of Greater London, but is around 22 kilometers from the center of the capital. The station is on the red line (“Central”) of the metro, in zone four.
Just before 7am (3am Brasília time) on Tuesday, police received reports of a car thrown into a house in Thurlow Gardens, a residential street next to the underground station.
Images were also shared of the suspect in Laing Close, another residential street just 100 meters away.
How was the attack?
Police say they arrested a suspect 22 minutes after receiving the first call to the emergency services number.
At the time of this report’s publication, there was no official timeline of how the events unfolded, but witnesses say there was chaos and several people were injured.
A witness told the PA news agency there was a standoff between police and the suspect in an alleyway.
“In the midst of the confusion, at least one person was stabbed – I think it may have been a woman because I heard a woman scream and then some kind of crying,” said the witness.
“Then I heard a voice saying things like ‘she was stabbed in the face’ and ‘we need help’ — a call for medical support.”
Another witness told PA they heard screams and police confronting the suspect.
“I looked out the back window because the noise was coming from behind, I saw a guy dressed in yellow jumping over some fences… I saw a policeman and a policewoman — normal policemen with short-sleeved shirts — who were chasing him and they were shouting for he let go [a sua arma].”
Credit, @ELL_PHT
Manpreet Singh, who was a witness, told the BBC he saw a “group of people, five or six of them, trying to fight a guy – he had a sword in his hand”.
He told the BBC he saw the man running towards the station and then trying to enter a house.
Singh said the suspect was trying to fight the officers and was hit with a Taser.
In a video, the suspect can be seen looking at houses in Laing Close. Nearby, the video shows a motionless person lying on the road.
One person appears to have had a lucky escape. In a video, they are briefly seen leaving a house a few meters from the attacker, but disappear without being noticed by him.
It is not clear whether all five victims were attacked in Laing Close and Thurlow Gardens or whether there were more injured nearby.
A damaged vehicle was also seen in Laing Close, although it is unclear whether the black car was involved in the incident.
Another person captured footage of the suspect being chased by police as he jumped fences and garages and entered gardens.
A man was heard warning residents by shouting “everyone lock your doors”.
What do we know about the victims?
The London Ambulance Service said five people were taken to hospital.
Two police officers and three other people were injured, police confirmed.
A 14-year-old boy died shortly after being taken to hospital. His identity has not been released and his family is being supported by trained police officers.
The other two people are still in the hospital, but their conditions are not considered life-threatening, police said.
The two injured officers have “significant but non-life-threatening” injuries and will require surgery, police confirmed.
What is known about the suspect?
Very little is known about the 36-year-old man suspected of involvement in the incident.
Videos captured by witnesses show a man in his 20s or 30s carrying what appears to be a Samurai-style sword.
In one video, he can be heard shouting in English, although the audio is not clear enough to identify for sure what he is saying.
Is the attack being classified as a terrorist attack by the police?
No. London police said within hours of the incident that it “does not appear to be terrorism-related” and said they did not believe it was a “targeted attack.”
Police also said they are not looking for any additional suspects and that there is no ongoing risk to the public.
As of mid-morning Tuesday, there was still a large police presence in the area.
What did the authorities say?
British Prime Minister Rishi Sunak praised the bravery of the emergency services earlier this morning.
In a statement, Sunak sent his “sincere condolences to the family” of the 14-year-old boy killed in Tuesday’s attack.
He also reinforced the need to give the police time and space to carry out their investigations.
Wes Streeting, MP for Ilford North, which includes Hainault, where the attacks took place, spoke about the case at a press conference with authorities,
“I can’t imagine what the poor guy’s family is going through,” Streeting said.
He said he had a meeting with the Mayor of London and will keep local residents updated as best he can.
“Our community deserves answers,” he said – before urging people to refrain from speculating about what happened on social media.
Louisa Rolfe, who leads the London Metropolitan Police operation, speaking to the press, also urged the community to think carefully before posting on social media about the case.
She says people should consider the impact of circulating this content on the families of those injured in today’s attack.
