One Dead, Five Injured In London Knife Attack

A knife-wielding attacker in London killed one woman and injured five others in an attack that took place at 10:33 Wednesday night, the BBC reports. A 19-year-old man was arrested at 10:39 local time after an officer discharged a Taser, according to the Metropolitan police. The attacker was loose for just six minutes. Initially, the woman was only injured, but she succumbed after help arrived.


The police say that they’re exploring terrorism as one possible motive, though mental health issues have also been cited. The attacker struck in Russell Square, with police quickly swarming the scene. A forensic tent has been erected on nearby Southampton Row.


The Telegraph reports that a man called in to BBC Radio London with a conflicting account of the attack.

"We came around the corner and there were armed police everywhere … a massive police presence … and a corpse lying in the street covered in a blanket,” the man, who gave his name as Paul, said. "Apparently it was a gang stabbed a woman and she’s dead. We went into the bar across the street and the officers came to interview us … we didn’t actually see anything but some people in the bar saw something."