A woman in her 60s has died and five other people have been injured after a man with ‘significant mental health issues’ allegedly ‘went on the rampage’ with a knife in a possible terror-related attack in central London.
The woman, who has not been formally identified, died and two women and three men received “various injuries” in the attack in Russell Square late last night.
Police said they are keeping an open mind over the motive behind the attack, understood to have taken place near the Imperial Hotel, and said terrorism was “one line of inquiry that we should explore”.
They confirmed murder detectives and the counter-terrorism unit had been brought in to investigate the killing.
One source said the suspect was seen to go ‘on the rampage’ with the weapon. Another witness said he heard one of the victim’s scream before running over to help them.
The suspect, whose identity has not been released, was arrested after officers fired a Taser.
As a result of the attack armed police and other officers will be deployed on the streets of London on Thursday as a “precautionary measure” to provide reassurance, the Met said as it urged the public to remain “calm, vigilant and alert”.
Speaking outside Scotland Yard in the early hours of Thursday morning, Assistant Commissioner Mark Rowley said it had been a “tragic incident”.
He said: “Early indications suggest that mental health is a significant factor in this case and that is one major line of inquiry.
“But of course at this stage we should keep an open mind regarding motive and, consequently, terrorism as a motivation remains one line of enquiry for us to explore.”
Police were called to Russell Square, a popular tourist area near the British Museum in Bloomsbury, shortly after 10.30pm to reports of a man armed with a knife assaulting people.
“Armed officers arrived at the scene within five minutes, they discharged the Taser whilst confronting and arresting the suspect,” Mr Rowley said.
“Six people have been injured, including the one woman who sadly died at the scene, and the others have received various injuries.”
The London Ambulance Service (LAS) said it sent four ambulance crews, a responder in a car, an advanced paramedic and two officers to the scene.
A medical team of a doctor and paramedic from London’s Air Ambulance also attended in a car.
Paramedics gave the woman “extensive treatment” at the scene but she could not be saved.
The five injured people were all taken to hospital for treatment, the LAS said.
The suspected attacker was arrested shortly after 10.39pm and is currently in police custody at hospital.
Witnesses described seeing armed police flood the area in the wake of the attack and officers established a large cordon to seal off the square where a forensics tent was later seen.
Paul Hutchinson, who witnessed the aftermath of the attack, told Sky News: “Russell Square was all taped-off by armed police and there was a body on the floor which you could see the feet sticking out from underneath where the rest of the body was covered up.
“There were loads and loads of armed police, lots of police cars with lights on, a couple of ambulances and the body on the floor.”
Bystander Abdulrahman Muammar wrote on Twitter: “London Russell Square locked down & surrounded with police officers. Many police cars & ambulances.”
Helen Edwards tweeted: “Police guarding cordon around #russellsquare #bedfordplace #southamptonrow Saw armed police & paramedics earlier. I saw armed police guarding the cordon around Russell Square plus ambulance at other end of Bedford place.”
The attack came on the day that Scotland Yard announced it was to put more armed officers on public patrol as part of anti-terrorism plans.
On Sunday Metropolitan Police chief Sir Bernard Hogan-Howe warned that a terror attack in the UK was a case of “when, not if”.
Counter-terror police are also probing the attempted abduction of a serviceman at knifepoint from a road near RAF Marham in Norfolk on July 20.
Wednesday’s incident took place a short distance from where a bomb exploded on the top deck of a bus in the July 7 2005 terror attacks, when a bomb was also detonated on a tube train between King’s Cross and Russell Square.
Scotland Yard appealed for witnesses to last night’s incident with information to call police on 101 or call Crimestoppers anonymously on 0800 555 111.
