VIDEO A 13-year-old boy died in a sword attack in London. Several people injured, the suspect was arrested

Five people were injured in a sword attack in east London on Tuesday. A 13-year-old boy died in hospital, later announced the police, who specified that the incident does not appear to be a terrorist one, write the BBC and The Guardian.

15:10The Metropolitan Police said that, according to initial reports, the incident did not appear to be a “targeted attack”.

Law enforcement officials, however, asked for “patience” at a time when the police investigation has only just begun.

14:55The Metropolitan Police announced that a 13-year-old boy injured in the attack in Hainault died after reaching the hospital.

A police official stressed that the event was “appalling” and that police were trying to establish “all the facts as a matter of priority”. He described the incident as “serious”.

He confirmed the arrest of a 36-year-old man and added that there are no other suspects in the incident.

The man was tased at the scene and arrested 20 minutes after the first call to police, shortly after 07:00 local time.

The two police officers injured in the attack are in hospital with “stab wounds” and have “significant injuries”, the Metropolitan Police official said, but their lives are not in danger.

He specified that two bystanders also injured in the attack remain in the hospital, but their lives are not in danger either.

They attack in the early hours of the morning

According to initial reports, police were called to the scene after eyewitnesses in Hainault, east London, reported that a car had driven into a house in the area in the early hours of the morning.

A suspect later attacked bystanders and police with what appeared to be a ninja sword.

Five people were injured and taken to hospital, including two policemen, the BBC writes. Their health status is currently unknown.

Among those transported to the hospital is a teenager, writes The Guardian.

The suspect, a 36-year-old man, has since been arrested, and the police have already announced that the incident does not appear to be a terrorist incident.

Authorities are now investigating whether the suspect had mental health issues and have told the media that at this early stage, that is a key line of inquiry into any motive for the attack.

A samurai sword

A witness to the incident said he heard screams before seeing a man dressed in yellow jumping over some fences around 7am.

“I heard shouts, I heard screams – I thought ‘who could be screaming at this time of the morning?’ The screams sounded like they were from the police – you know when they order someone to stop or get on their knees or something – it was. It was like “stop where you are, put that down, put that down” – that kind of thing.

“I looked out the back window, because the noise was coming from the back, I saw a guy in yellow jump over some fences… then he went down an alley like he was back on the street again.

“I saw a policeman and a policewoman – normal policemen – who were chasing him and shouting at him to let her go,” the witness reported.

Another witness told the BBC that the suspect was armed with a samurai sword.

“He basically had a big samurai sword. It was a huge sword. I saw everything from my bedroom window and then, when he entered the alley, a few doors down, I ran outside and the police electrocuted him,” he said.

“It’s terrible when people go to school, to work. It’s the last thing you want to hear, someone running around town with a samurai sword,” the local added.

Prime Minister Rishi Sunak, “shocked” by the incident

Prime Minister Rishi Sunak said he was “shocked” by the Hainault attack and said “such violence has no place on our streets”.

“I am absolutely devastated by the news in Hainault this morning. I would like to thank the emergency services for their continued response and pay tribute to the extraordinary bravery shown by the police at the scene,” the head of government said.

London Mayor Sadiq Khan also announced that he was devastated by the information coming from Hainault and hailed the courage of the police officers who intervened.

“Police officers and emergency services have shown the best in our city – running into danger to protect others and I thank them from the bottom of my heart,” he said.

Numerous knife attacks in London

Metropolitan Police statistics show that knife attacks have increased year-on-year in London, but have not yet returned to pre-Covid-19 levels.

An estimated 14,577 such crimes were recorded in the 12 months to December 2023, according to Home Office data.

The number of these crimes is increasing by 20% compared to the one recorded in the previous 12 months – 12,119, but below the one recorded from March 2019 to March 2020. – 14,680 incidents.