Man, 19, held at south London police station after attack in which one woman died and five other people were injured

This article is more than 4 years old

This article is more than 4 years old

A 19-year-old man is being held on suspicion of murder after a woman was killed and five other people were injured in multiple stabbings in central London.

A man was arrested at the scene after police stunned him with a Taser, following the attack, which began at 10.30pm on Wednesday in Russell Square, near the Imperial Hotel and the British Museum.

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The suspect is at a south London police station after receiving treatment in hospital.

The Metropolitan police commissioner, Sir Bernard Hogan-Howe, said: “Mental health remains a substantial focus for our investigation.”

Britain’s most senior counter-terrorism officer, the Metropolitan police assistant commissioner Mark Rowley, also said early reports suggested that mental health was a factor. Scotland Yard removed references to terrorism in the later updates, saying it was keeping an “open mind” as to the motive.



Hotel guests described hearing screaming from the square below, while witnesses to the aftermath saw a body lying on the floor as armed police scrambled to the scene. Other accounts suggested that the attacker had a motorcycle helmet.



Facebook Twitter Pinterest Police forensic officers at work in Russell Square, central London, after a knife attack in which a woman in her 60s was killed. Photograph: Yui Mok/PA

Two women and three men suffered “various injuries” in the incident and were receiving treatment in hospital. Three were discharged on Thursday morning.

The incident in the popular tourist area came amid warnings about the near-inevitability of a terrorist attack in the UK, following a series of incidents across Europe and the Middle East.



One woman described seeing a man near the scene in motorcycle clothing with a helmet on top of his head.



Philippa Baglee, who was in London to celebrate her 60th birthday, was walking past Russell Square when she saw a group of people looking down at the ground.

“There was someone lying on the ground and lots of people around, and a guy with a black motorcycle helmet balanced on top of his head walking around,” she said.

Facebook Twitter Pinterest A body bag is removed from the crime scene in Russell Square. Photograph: Justin Tallis/AFP/Getty Images

“He was on the outside of everyone looking on the ground. The moment I saw an ambulance and police car arrive, I thought someone had just been knocked off their bike.”

Asked to describe the man, she said he was short and dressed in what she thought was all black leathers. “It was all very calm. No one was panicking,” Baglee said.

The investigation into the stabbings, understood to have occurred on the eastern side of the square, was being led by murder detectives on Thursday with the support of counter-terrorism officers.

The area in London where the stabbing occurred on Wednesday night. Photograph: Guardian

Hogan-Howe said: “My thoughts are with the family of the woman who was murdered and those who were injured. A normal night out in our busy capital has ended in horrific circumstances.

“Our investigation is moving very quickly and our detectives have been working hard throughout the night. As we have already made clear, mental health remains a substantial focus for our investigation.”

Hogan-Howe said specialist firearms officers were on the scene in six minutes and detained the subject using only a Taser.

“Their swift response undoubtedly helped to prevent more people from getting injured,” he said.

“Across our capital today you will see more police officers, armed and unarmed, to reassure the public after recent events overseas. We will protect our capital and those who live, work and visit our city.”

Facebook Twitter Pinterest Armed police officers patrol at the scene of a knife attack in Russell Square in London. Photograph: Neil Hall/Reuters

Police received the first call just after 10.30pm and several further calls were made by members of the public between 10.30pm and 11.30pm.



Britain’s most senior counter-terrorism officer, the Metropolitan police assistant commissioner Mark Rowley, said early reports suggested that mental health was a factor. Scotland Yard removed references to terrorism in the most recent updates, saying it was keeping an “open mind” as to the motive.

Rowley addressed the media just after 3.30am outside Scotland Yard’s headquarters.



“Early indications suggest 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 but one line of inquiry for us to explore,” he said.

The Associated Press (@AP) RAW VIDEO: 1 dead and 5 other injured in London knife attack. https://t.co/NafAUnovtU

Rowley said there would be extra police patrols on London’s streets following the knife attack. These would include armed officers and were intended to reassure the public.

The UK’s terrorism threat level remained at severe, meaning an attack was considered to be highly likely.

“As a precautionary measure, Londoners will wake up this morning to notice an increased presence on the streets of officers, including armed officers. We would urge the public to remain calm, alert and vigilant,” Rowley said.

The mayor of London, Sadiq Khan, called for the public to remain “calm and vigilant”. The police were doing an incredibly difficult job, the mayor said, adding that the safety of Londoners was his “number one priority”.

Khan said his “heart goes out to the victims of the incident in Russell Square and their loved ones” after the death of the woman, who has not been identified but is believed to have been in her 60s.

Facebook Twitter Pinterest A police forensic officer at work in Russell Square after the knife attack. Photograph: Yui Mok/PA

Officers cordoned off the area overnight and were stopping people entering Bedford Place, just off Russell Square, where the suspect is believed to have been arrested. Forensic officers wearing protective suits examined the scene. Most cordons were lifted on Thursday, with one partial road closure still in place.

Witnesses described how armed police flooded the area after 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, told Sky News: “Russell Square was all taped off by armed police and there was a body on the floor.

“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.”

Facebook Twitter Pinterest Police officers stand near a forensics tent. Photograph: Neil Hall/Reuters

A caller to BBC Radio London, named Paul, said he had been to the nearby Bloomsbury cinema with his girlfriend when he came across the scene.

“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,” he said.



“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.”

Additional police were immediately deployed in the area, which is frequented mainly by students and tourists. Along with the British Museum, the University of London and University College London are very close by. There are numerous hotels and restaurants in the area, including Hotel Russell and the Imperial.

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Russell Square is a large garden square with a fountain in the middle and a cafe, and is very busy during the day. Russell Square tube station is located just off the square and the area is a main thoroughfare for buses.

The garden area is usually locked at night and would have closed at about 8.30pm. It was not clear whether it was still open when the stabbings took place, or whether they took place within the square itself or just outside.

A statement from the London ambulance service said: “We sent a number of staff to the scene, including four ambulance crews, a responder in a car, an advanced paramedic and two officers.

susanna cappellaro (@SuzieCappellaro) Thank you so much @metpoliceuk for being so fast, caring and efficient tonight in #russellsquare . I am a resident and I really thank you.

“A medical team of a doctor and paramedic from London’s air ambulance also attended by car. Our first staff arrived at the scene within seven minutes.

“Sadly, despite extensive treatment, one woman was pronounced dead at the scene. Our staff also treated a further five people who had been injured during the incident, three men and two women, who were all taken to hospital.”

Earlier on Wednesday, Scotland Yard had announced the deployment of an extra 600 armed officers in London following the recent terror attacks in France and Germany.