Man with sword arrested after stabbing spree in London, teenage boy dies
London, Apr 30: A sword-wielding man on Tuesday smashed a vehicle into a home and then went on a stabbing spree in a "serious incident” near an east London Tube station, killing a 13-year-old boy and wounding four people, before being arrested, the Metropolitan Police said.
The police said the incident did not appear to be linked with "any act of terrorism” and that of the five people injured, a boy has died from his injuries and the others, including two police officers, remain in hospital after the attack in Hainault area of the city.
"A 13-year-old boy was taken to hospital after being stabbed and sadly died a short while after. The child's family are being supported by local officers and are now with some specialist officers,” said Met Police Chief Superintendent Stuart Bell in a statement.
He confirmed the 36-year-old suspect was tasered within 22 minutes of the first call and remains in custody.
"I cannot even begin to imagine how those affected must be feeling. My thoughts are with the injured, their families and the wider community as we all begin to come to terms with what has happened and try to understand what has happened here.
"I know that there will be clearly and understandably a desire for answers and an explanation to what happened. Our investigation is in its very early stages and my officers are working right now to establish the full facts as a priority," he added.
British Prime Minister Rishi Sunak described it as a "shocking incident”, saying that such violence has no place on the country's streets.
"This is a shocking incident. My thoughts are with those affected and their families. I'd like to thank the emergency services for their ongoing response, and pay tribute to the extraordinary bravery shown by police on the scene,” said Sunak.
"Such violence has no place on our streets,” he said.
There is a police presence at the scene in Hainault, with images of a smashed van visible in a large cordoned off area and the nearby tube station being closed down.
“This must have been a terrifying incident for those concerned. I know the wider community will be feeling shock and alarm. People will want to know what has happened and we will provide more information as soon as we can,” said Met Police Deputy Assistant Commissioner Ade Adelekan.
Eyewitnesses said they saw a standoff between the suspect and the police before he was tasered as he attempted to force his way into a house.
Earlier, the police and emergency services said they were called just before 7am local time to reports of a vehicle being driven into a house at Thurlow Gardens in east London. Video footage on social media shows the bearded suspect walking around bushes with a large bladed sword after he smashed the vehicle into a home.
“We do not believe there is any ongoing threat to the wider community. We are not looking for more suspects. This incident does not appear to be terror-related,” the Met Police said.
London Mayor Sadiq Khan praised the emergency services for their quick action.
"The police and emergency services showed the best of our city – running towards danger to protect others and I thank them from the bottom of my heart," he said in a statement.
UK Home Secretary James Cleverly said on X that he was being updated "regularly" on the incident.
“My thoughts are with those who have been affected & thank you to the emergency responders. I would urge people not to speculate or share footage online and provide relevant information to the police,” he said.
Wes Streeting, the Labour MP for the area, thanked the "heroic" police officers who put themselves in harm's way in response to the "horrific incident".
"My prayers are with those who've been injured and their loved ones. I know there will be widespread fear and alarm in our community,” he said.
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Maharashtra polls: NCP leader Bhujbal distances himself from 'Batenge toh Katenge' poll pitch
Yevla (PTI): Veteran OBC leader and Maharashtra minister Chhagan Bhujbal, who belongs to NCP, has distanced himself from the BJP's 'batenge toh katenge' poll pitch and asserted that the Mahayuti government will retain power with a good majority.
In an interview with PTI in Yevla town of Nashik district, Bhujbal also claimed that the Maratha quota agitation, led by activist Manoj Jarange Patil, won't affect the poll outcome in Yevla and Manmad-Nandgaon constituencies.
Bhujbal is in the fray from the Yevla seat, while his nephew Sameer Bhujbal is a contestant from the Manmad-Nandgaon assembly segment.
The Bhujbal senior said the Maratha activist visited Yevla on Saturday morning and left well past midnight, addressing a gathering and trying to disrupt my public meetings.
"It is fine. I know my constituency quite well. It will not have much impact," said Bhujbal, pitted against former ally Manikrao Shinde of NCP (Sharadchandra Pawar).
Bhujbal is confident that several development projects undertaken by him in the region would bolster his prospects in elections.
He disassociated the Ajit Pawar-led Nationalist Congress Party from the BJP's 'batenge toh katenge' (divided we fall) poll pitch.
"We have nothing to do with these slogans. Our party has nothing to do with it. I only talk about Vikas (development)," the 77-year-old leader said.
"Vikas is my caste, Vikas is my religion, Vikas is my party and my language will also be Vikas. I only talk about development and nothing else," Bhujbal added.
He emphasised that the NCP headed by Deputy CM Ajit Pawar believed in doing justice to all communities without discrimination.
"In my constituency, there are Hindus, Muslims, Dalits, Adivasis, and Marathas among others. We do not discriminate against any community. Development is our only agenda," Bhujbal said.
Notably, Ajit Pawar had asserted that the people of Maharashtra do not like the "Batenge...." pitch which may work in north India.
On Mahayuti's chief ministerial face, Bhujbal said leaders of the three constituents would decide after the elections.
The Mahayuti comprises Shiv Sena headed by Chief Minister Eknath Shinde, BJP, and NCP led by Ajit Pawar.
"Anybody can become a chief minister. Be it a Maratha, OBC, or Brahmin. Did anyone ever think Eknath Shinde would become a chief minister? Anything is possible in politics," Bhujbal said.
Polling for 288 assembly seats in Maharashtra will be held on November 20 and votes will be counted on November 23.
A veteran politician, Bhujbal is seeking a fifth consecutive term from the Yevla assembly segment where he shifted in 2004.
Born in Nashik, Bhujbal worked as a vegetable vendor in Mumbai's Byculla market. Inspired by Balasaheb Thackeray, he joined the Shiv Sena in the 1960s. He was elected as Mayor of Mumbai in 1985.
He went on to win two consecutive terms as MLA from Mazgaon in Mumbai- first on Shiv Sena ticket in 1986 and later as a Congress nominee in 1991 after quitting the Sena.
In 1996, Bhujbal was defeated by Shiv Sainik Bala Nandgaonkar. Congress sent him to the Legislative Council, where he also served as the Leader of the Opposition.
Unsure about his future in electoral politics in Mumbai, Bhujbal shifted his base to Yevla, then an under-developed region, after local people expressed a wish for representation by a senior leader.
Bhujbal is banking on development initiatives taken by him in the region for the upcoming electoral contest.
"I won the previous elections by a margin of 60,000 votes. This time the margin could increase to 1 lakh on the back of development work carried out in the region," Bhujbal told PTI in Yevla.
Sharing his experience, Bhujbal said in every election some 50,000 people vote against him. "This time that number will either decrease by 10,000 or increase by 10,000," he added.
A key highlight of his campaign is the Manjarpada water diversion project that brings the water from a distance of 160 km through a canal to the parched Yevla region and a 12-km tunnel.
Bhujbal's political rivals are targeting him for "betraying" Sharad Pawar who shaped his political career in a big way, and siding with Ajit Pawar in July 2023.
"Chhagan Bhujbal had told me he would speak to Ajit Pawar and make him see clearly. He never returned and the next day he took oath as a minister," Sharad Pawar said at a rally here last week.
The senior Pawar was referring to the split in the NCP last year when Ajit Pawar claimed the support of two-thirds of the MLAs and joined the Shiv Sena-BJP government.
"What ideology is Sharad Pawar talking about? He started the trend of breaking parties and families. He did the 'punya karma' (sacred job) of breaking the Shiv Sena, garnered the support of MLAs and then came to me," Bhujbal said recalling his defection from Shiv Sena in 1991.
Sharad Pawar toppled the Vasantdada Patil government to become chief minister, he said. Pawar then rejoined the Congress, sensing an opportunity to become chief minister again.
"You broke the Congress and also the NCP. You also admitted several leaders of the BJP into your party. You have broken several parties as well as families. If we start digging up what happened 30-35 years ago then things would go too far. It is better to avoid speaking of these things," Bhujbal said.
He said the Manjarpada water diversion project has led to better irrigation facilities for the orchards dotting the region.
"This has led to prosperity among farmers. This gives me the confidence of posting a larger victory margin," Bhujbal said.
