TVC E. A woman was killed and five other people injured by a man with suspected mental health issues who went on a rampage with a knife in central London in an attack police said could be linked to terrorism.
Armed police were called at 10:33 p.m. (2133 GMT) after a man with a knife started to attack people in London’s Russell Square, an elegant park near the site of a 2005 suicide bombing.
“Early indications suggest that mental health is a significant factor in this case and that is one major line of inquiry,” London Metropolitan Police Assistant Commissioner Mark Rowley told reporters.
“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,” said Rowley, who is Britain’s most senior anti-terrorism officer.
Police, who arrived within five minutes of being called, used a Taser electric shock gun while detaining the 19-year-old suspect. He was later arrested on suspicion of murder.
The investigation is being handled by the homicide command with support from the counter-terrorism officers, Rowley said.
The woman was treated at the scene but was pronounced dead a short time later. The other injured people – one woman and four men – were treated in hospital and three were later discharged.
A Reuters reporter at the scene said the southern part of the square, which sits at the heart of London’s university area and is close to landmarks such as the British Museum, was cordoned off by police.
