Bulhan, 19, is charged with murdering 64-year-old US citizen Darlene Horton and attempting to murder five other people

The teenager who allegedly killed a US tourist and injured five others in a random knife attack in Russell Square will appear at the Old Bailey on Tuesday after being remanded in custody following a brief appearance at Westminster magistrates court.

Zakaria Bulhan, 19, has been charged with murdering the 64-year-old woman and attempting to murder five other people in the central London assault on Wednesday night.

Bulhan, who wore a plain grey tracksuit, was asked to confirm his name, address and date of birth but kept one hand over his mouth, making his responses almost inaudible to the court.

The court heard that he declined representation at the hearing, shaking his head when asked if he wanted to see the duty solicitor.

The suspect held his head in his hands as the six charges were confirmed. He is accused of murdering US citizen Darlene Horton, who was due to fly back to America a day later, and the attempted murder of two other women and three men.

They were named as Lillie Selletin, Yovel Lewronski, Martin Hoenisch, David Imber and Bernard Hepplewhite.

One of the male victims, who suffered a stab wound to his stomach, remains in hospital in a serious but stable condition. The other four were all discharged on Thursday after being treated for their injuries.

He is also charged with the attempted murder of Martin Hoenisch, Lillie Selletin, David Imber, Bernard Hepplewhite and Yovel Lewronski, who were all injured in the same attack.



Bulhan is a Norwegian national of Somali origin who moved to the UK in 2002 and lives in Wandsworth, south London, with his mother, brother and sister. He will appear at the Old Bailey on Tuesday.

Hoenisch is understood to be the American man injured in the attack. In the early hours of Friday morning, the Las Vegas resident posted on Facebook: “Thanks to everybody for reaching. Weird, Laurie [Kelly, his wife] and I thought we would take a stab at going to London and look what happened. Anyway thanks to everyone for reaching out, we’re still very saddened about the woman who was killed. Very unreal experience.”

Hepplewhite is thought to be the British man who remains in hospital in a serious but stable condition after being stabbed in the stomach in the attack. He is believed to be from Rochester in Kent and in his early sixties.

Imber is understood to be the Australian man hurt in the knife attack. According to his LinkedIn profile, Imber is parliamentary advocacy manager for Telstra, the Australian telecoms giant, based in Melbourne.



Is it not clear whether he knows the Australian woman who was stabbed in the back during the incident. She is thought to be Selletin.

A spokesman for the Australian foreign office said: “The department of foreign affairs and trade has been providing consular assistance to three Australians caught up in a stabbing attack in Russell Square, London.

“A 40-year-old man and a 23-year-old woman both sustained non-life threatening injuries and have been discharged from hospital.

“Another Australian woman was at the scene of the attack, but was not injured. The Australians concerned have requested that their privacy be respected.”

Lewkowski, 18, who was visiting London from Tel Aviv, was stabbed in the upper arm. She said she did not know whether to call it “luck or fate” that she escaped death, adding that she had watched as Horton “perished in front of my eyes”. In a moving Facebook post, she wrote: “I’m not afraid, I want to keep going with the trip.

“The last few hours have taught me to appreciate every second. I don’t know whether to call it luck or fate, but no doubt it is some sort of miracle compared to the woman who stood right next to me and perished in front of my eyes: a matter of seconds, metres, breaths.”