Rush Hour Sword Rampage Leaves 4 Injured,1 Dead

(NewsSpace.com) – London may have strict gun control laws, but that hasn’t stopped mass violence from taking place. Knife crime is on the rise in England, up 5% in 2023 from the year prior, with 48,716 offenses, per the Office of National Statistics. Another attack—this time from a sword-yielding man—claimed the life of a teenager and injured four others.

Just before 7 a.m. on Tuesday, April 30, authorities received a call about a man driving into a residential home in Hainault, a northeast London neighborhood, according to a statement on X, formerly Twitter. When he got out of the vehicle, he allegedly started swinging a sword, stabbing and slicing five victims, including two police officers and a 14-year-old who later died at the hospital. Local council member Jas Athwal said law enforcement “stopped further tragedy from occurring.”

Police and emergency services are in Hainault at a serious incident in which a man with a sword has been arrested.

Read and share our latest update below.

We do not believe there is any ongoing threat to the wider community – this incident does not appear to be terror-related. pic.twitter.com/M2ljxeBu32

— Redbridge MPS (@MPSRedbridge) April 30, 2024

The suspect, a 36-year-old man who remains unnamed, was eventually arrested. He is currently in the hospital for injuries he sustained when driving his vehicle into a building. Assistant Commissioner Louisa Rolfe said that due to his condition, authorities have not been able to interrogate him, but a quick review shows that he has no prior incidents on record, or any prior contact with the police.

Police were quick to let the neighborhood know they didn’t know what the motive behind the attack was, but they didn’t believe the incident was related to terrorism and that there was no ongoing threat. Mayor Sadiq Khan, who is also the top police official in the city, praised law enforcement and rescue workers for responding quickly and “running towards danger to protect others.” He asked that people not spread speculation or the video that was going viral on social media.

The Metropolitan Police promised to investigate the attack and get answers for all of the victims. The other four victims remain hospitalized as of the time of this writing.