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A murder probe has been launched after a man in his 20s was stabbed to death in north London, becoming the 131st person to be violently killed in the capital this year.

The man died after he was rushed to hospital in the early hours of Saturday morning, just three days before Christmas Day.

The Met Police have launched a murder investigation following the incident in Haringey, north London.

The stabbing has brought the number of people violently killed in the capital to 131 this year - the most since 2009.

Police said the man was found when officers were called to Albert Place in Haringey at about 1.20am.

(Image: Getty)

He was rushed to hospital but was pronounced dead just before 2.15am.

No arrests have been made and Scotland Yard detectives are trying to identify the victim.

A post-mortem examination is yet to take place.

Detective Chief Inspector Glen Lloyd said: "We're in the early stages of the investigation and at this stage we are working hard to piece together the chain of events that led to a young man losing his life.

"Only days before Christmas, a life has been senselessly taken and my team will work tirelessly to bring those responsible to justice as soon as possible.

"I am appealing to anyone with information, no matter how insignificant they think it may be, to come forward and speak to police. If there is a reluctance to speak to police, you can of course contact Crimestoppers anonymously."

Anyone with information is asked to call police on 101 quoting CAD 503/December 22, or Crimestoppers on 0800 555 111.

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There has been great concern over levels of violent crime - especially knife crime involving young men - in London this year.

As of Saturday morning - and with more than a week to go before the new year - the number of people violently killed in the capital in 2018 was 131 - the highest in a calendar year since 2009, when there were 131 victims.

Last Tuesday, a young man was shot dead in Enfield, north London.

The man, aged about 20, was found in a home in St Joseph's Road

The longest London went without a violent killing in 2018 was just 16 days, Sky News reported.

The two bloodiest months were February and March, which saw 16 and 21 people die.

There were two occasions - February 20 and April 15 - where three people were fatally attacked on the same day.

A spike in violent crime in London saw more murders committed in the UK capital than in New York, which has a similar population size, in February and March for the first time ever.

There were higher rates of homicide in the east of London.

Sky News' analysis found that the boroughs of Greenwich and Southwark had the highest homicide rate for 2018, with three people killed per 100,000 residents.

There were no homicides in Bexley, Harrow and Sutton.

In response to the rise in killings, the Met Police put more officers on the streets, including its Violent Crime Taskforce.