A knife attack that injured a 19-year-old man in the English county of Surrey on Sunday is being treated as a terrorist incident that was "inspired by the far right," British counterterrorism police said.

A 50-year-old man has been arrested over the attack, which took place in the town of Stanwell, located near Heathrow Airport.

"While this investigation is still in its infancy, it has hallmarks of a terror event, inspired by the far right, and therefore it has been declared a terrorism incident," counterterrorism police coordinator Neil Basu said.

Police said that the man had been seen shouting racist comments and walking down the street with a baseball bat prior to the stabbing.

The 19-year-old victim sustained non-life-threatening injuries and is currently being treated in hospital.

British Prime Minister Theresa May thanked emergency services "for their handling of the terrorist incident in Stanwell," adding that "vile, hateful far-right extremism has no place in our society."

The attack comes just days after a deadly far-right terror attack on two mosques in Christchurch, New Zealand. At least 50 people were killed in the shootings, which targeted members of the Muslim community.

The attacks sparked outrage around the world and prompted heightened security around mosques.

rs/aw (AP, AFP, dpa Reuters)

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