UK: Three killed after man goes on stabbing spree, police declare it as a ‘terror incident’

0
129
Advertisements


Three people were killed and another three seriously injured when a man went on a stabbing spree in a park in the southern English town of Reading on Saturday. The police are treating the attack as a terror incident.

Witnesses said a man went on the rampage at around 7 pm in Forbury Gardens on Saturday evening, stabbing people at random who had gathered in the park on a sunny summer evening in Reading, which is about 40 miles (65 km) west of London. People on social media said that a police sergeant ‘rugby tackled’ the attacker who was running with the ‘knife’.

A 25-year-old man, reportedly Libyan, was arrested, police said. Thames Valley Police have declared it as a terror attack.

The emergency services including Mi5 was reported to be present at the stop and are investigating the case. Air Ambulances took the injured to the hospital.

Calling it a, ‘truly tragic incident,’ Chief Constable John Campbell said, “Incidents of this nature are very rare, though I know that will be of little comfort to those involved and understand the concern that this incident will have caused amongst our local community”.

The man was known to the authorities for minor crimes but not any terror-related incident.

Armed officers since have been in the town and the area has been cordoned off.

UK Prime Minister Boris Johnson held an emergency meeting on Sunday morning and was given an update on the ongoing investigation. “My thoughts are with all of those affected by the appalling incident in Reading and my thanks to the emergency services on the scene,” PM Johnson said.

The investigations will now look more deeply into the background of the attacker and find out what influenced him as well as the circle he moved with.

‘DEEPLY SHOCKING’

Matt Rodda, a lawmaker who represents Reading in Britain’s parliament, said the park, located in an historic area of the town, was typically busy on a Saturday evening.

“It’s used by people to sit and meet with friends and obviously at the moment people have been meeting there, observing social distancing, and just chatting to friends peacefully in a park,” Rodda told Sky News.

“This incident happened in that kind of environment so it’s really quite deeply shocking for local people.”

Current coronavirus restrictions mean venues like pubs are closed, so many people in Britain gather in parks in the evenings to meet friends.

The head of the local council authority in Reading, Jason Brock, said his thoughts were “with the families of all those who have died or have been injured.”

Some 36 people were killed in four attacks in Britain blamed by authorities on terrorism in 2017, the most deadly of which occurred at the end of a concert by U.S. singer Ariana Grande in Manchester, northern England, with other attacks at London Bridge and near parliament.

Last year the government downgraded the national terrorism threat level to “substantial,” meaning an attack is likely, from “severe”.

Get real-time alerts and all the news on your phone with the all-new India Today app. Download from

  • Andriod App
  • IOS App



Source link