An Israeli tourist was lightly wounded in a knife attack in central London on Wednesday evening, it was revealed on Thursday. The young woman was hurt in her hand and has already been discharged from the hospital after receiving treatment.

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Police put more officers on London streets Thursday after a Norwegian teenager of Somali origin stabbed an American woman to death and injured five other people near the British Museum.

The other wounded were British, American and Australia and none were suffering from life-threatening injuries. Two remain in the hospital, while the rest were discharged.

Scene of the attack (Photo: EPA)

The incident came just days after authorities had warned the public to be vigilant in light of attacks inspired by the Islamic State group elsewhere in Europe.



Assistant Commissioner Mark Rowley, head of counterterrorism at the Metropolitan Police, said early indications suggested that mental health was a factor in the attack, which occurred at around 10:30pm (9:30pm GMT, 5:30pm EDT) Wednesday in Russell Square, a busy central area full of students and tourists.

Rowley said police "are keeping an open mind regarding the motive, and terrorism remains one line of inquiry being explored."

He noted it appeared to be a "spontaneous attack and that the victims were selected at random."

Officers used a stun gun to subdue the 19-year-old suspect, who was arrested on suspicion of murder. Detectives from the force's murder and terrorism squads interviewed the suspect, his family and witnesses and searched properties, and found no evidence of radicalization, Rowley said.

The National Criminal Investigation Service in Norway confirmed the suspect was a 19-year-old Norwegian national who had left the country in 2002.

Metropolitan Police Commissioner Bernard Hogan-Howe also confirmed that "mental health remains a substantial focus for our investigation."

Police said they received "numerous" calls from members of the public about a man attacking people with a knife in the streets around the square.

Police said the woman who died was in her 60s but gave no other details. Two victims remain in the hospital, while others have been discharged.

Scene of the attack (Photo: AP)

Ellie Cattle, 21, a student staying in a hotel near the square, said she heard police shouting: "'Put it down, put it down!'

"Then I heard what sounded like a gunshot, but it must have been the Taser," she said. "After that they just stopped shouting. I didn't hear any screams from anyone."

London Mayor Sadiq Khan urged the public to keep calm and remain vigilant, and encouraged people to be the first line of defense against any form of attack.

"We all have a vital role to play as eyes and ears for our police and security services and in helping to ensure London is protected," he said.

Knives are the most common murder weapon in Britain, which has strict gun-control laws. There were 186 knife killings in the year to March 2015, according to government statistics -- a third of all murders.

In the last three years London has seen two knife attacks by people inspired by radical Islam. In May 2013, two al-Qaeda-inspired London men killed off-duty soldier Lee Rigby in the street near his barracks. In January, mentally ill Muhiddin Mire tried to behead a London Underground passenger, shouting that he was doing it "for Syria."

The Russell Square incident came within hours of an announcement by London police that they were putting more armed officers on the streets. The idea was to sustain public confidence following attacks by Islamic State-inspired groups in Europe.

Police in Britain do not carry guns for the most part -- a principle that remains unchanged. Even with the additional armed officers, most of London's 31,000 police officers will not be armed.