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Police are still investigating the attack but say terrorism is a possible motivation. Newslook
Police officers guard the scene of a knife attack on Aug. 4, 2016 in London, England.(Photo: Carl Court, Getty Images)
LONDON — The woman stabbed to death in an attack on a street in the British capital was American, police here<span style="color: Red;">*</span>said Thursday.
Scotland Yard Assistant Commissioner Mark Rowley<span style="color: Red;">*</span>identified the suspect as a<span style="color: Red;">*</span>Norwegian national of Somali ancestry. He said police had so far found<span style="color: Red;">*</span>no evidence of radicalization or anything<span style="color: Red;">*</span>that would suggest<span style="color: Red;">*</span>that he<span style="color: Red;">*</span>was motivated by terrorism.
Five people were injured in the attack —<span style="color: Red;">*</span>their nationalities are<span style="color: Red;">*</span>Australian,<span style="color: Red;">*</span>American,<span style="color: Red;">*</span>Israeli<span style="color: Red;">*</span>and British, Rowley said.
"Whilst the investigation is not yet complete —<span style="color: Red;">*</span>all of the work that we have done so far, increasingly points to this tragic incident as having been triggered by mental health issues," he said.
"At this time we believe this was a spontaneous attack and the victims were selected at random."
Police were called to reports of a man attacking people with a knife<span style="color: Red;">*</span>in Russell Square, near the British Museum in central London, at about 10.30 p.m. local time Wednesday.<span style="color: Red;">*</span>Officers arrived at the scene soon afterward and the 19-year-old suspect was Tasered and taken to a hospital.
The American woman, believed to be in her 60s, was pronounced dead at the scene, police said.
Scotland Yard said the suspect, who has not been named, was treated in the hospital and is now in custody at a police station in south London. He has been arrested on suspicion of murder.
Two women and three men were injured in the attack. Two of the victims remained in hospital Thursday while the others had been discharged, police said.
Manuel Simo, 32, who works at a hotel in the area, told the London Evening Standard:<span style="color: Red;">*</span>“At first, people were confused and thought it was a traffic accident.<span style="color: Red;">*</span>When they realized what was happening people were screaming and running away from a guy who was holding a knife.<span style="color: Red;">*</span>Apparently he was just stabbing people randomly —<span style="color: Red;">*</span>it’s horrible. People ran away in the direction of the British Museum."
Scotland Yard’s homicide and major crime team is leading the investigation, supported by counter-terrorism officers.
The stabbings<span style="color: Red;">*</span>came as Scotland Yard<span style="color: Red;">*</span>announced 600 extra firearms officers to patrol the streets of<span style="color: Red;">*</span>London in a bid to protect residents from the threat of terrorism, following a spate of recent attacks in<span style="color: Red;">*</span>Europe, including one in Nice, France, that killed<span style="color: Red;">*</span>84<span style="color: Red;">*</span>people.
A subway train travelling between King's Cross and Russell Square<span style="color: Red;">*</span>was targeted by a suicide bomber<span style="color: Red;">*</span>in the terror<span style="color: Red;">*</span>attacks on the London transport system<span style="color: Red;">*</span>of<span style="color: Red;">*</span>July 2005, and<span style="color: Red;">*</span>a bomb was detonated on a double-decker bus<span style="color: Red;">*</span>in nearby Tavistock Square. The<span style="color: Red;">*</span>series of attacks<span style="color: Red;">*</span>killed 52 people.
"As a precautionary measure, Londoners will wake up this morning to notice an increased presence on the streets of officers, including armed officers today,” Rowley said in a statement earlier Thursday.
Sadiq Khan, the mayor of London, urged Londoners to “remain calm and vigilant.”
“The safety of all Londoners is my number one priority and my heart goes out to the victims of the incident in Russell Square and their loved ones," he said in a statement Thursday.
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