On August 4, 2016, London police patrol the crime scene at Russell Square. Photo courtesy of US Weekly.
Summary: London police have arrested the man who allegedly stabbed six people, killing one American.
Yesterday, an American woman was stabbed to death on the street in London. Police stated today that the suspect was a Norwegian of Somali ancestry, and they denied any evidence of radicalization or terrorist ties.
The knife attack occurred on Wednesday on the street of Russell Square, a tourist spot near the British Museum. Police arrived after the stabbing and tasered a 19-year-old man before taking him to the hospital. He has since been arrested for suspicion of murder.
Manuel Simo, 32, who works in the area said that the suspect had been stabbing people randomly.
“At first, people were confused and thought it was a traffic accident. When they realized what was happening people were screaming and running away from a guy who was holding a knife. Apparently he was just stabbing people randomly — it’s horrible. People ran away in the direction of the British Museum,” Simo told the London Evening Standard.
In addition to killing the woman, the suspect injured five others, and Scotland Yard Assistant Commissioner Mark Rowley said the authorities believed the incident was a result of “mental health issues.”
Rowley said the investigation is pending, but the police believe the victims—from Australia, the United States, Israel, and the United Kingdom—were chosen at random.
The American woman who died was reportedly in her 60s, and she was declared dead on the scene.
London police tasered the suspected assailant. Photo courtesy of SBS.
London mayor Sadiq Khan urged his citizens to remain calm. The stabbings worried many who have already been on edge due to prior terrorist attacks in the area and throughout Europe.
“The safety of all Londoners is my number one priority and my heart goes out to the victims of the incident in Russell Square and their loved ones,” Khan said.
Do you think this incident could have been prevented? If so, how? Let us know in the comments below.
Source: USA Today