A sword-carrying man has been taken into custody after reported stabbings and assaults on law enforcement officers in London’s eastern district. According to the Metropolitan Police, the initial reports were about a vehicle crashing into a residential property near the tube station in Hainault at 7 a.m. on Tuesday. Further reports of multiple stabbings during the same incident in the Thurlow Gardens vicinity were received. It is believed that the man continued to assault residents and two police officers, resulting in five people requiring hospitalisation. The suspect, a 36-year-old male, was seized on site and remains in police custody.
The Metropolitan Police is not pursuing any additional suspects related to this event, which is not suspected to be a terrorist act. The Hainault tube station has been temporarily shut down as confirmed by Transport for London owing to the ongoing police examination in the area.
Deputy Assistant Commissioner Ade Adelekan acknowledged that the event would have been deeply alarming for those involved as well as for the wider community. He stated that detailed information regarding the incident would be released as soon as possible. The police await updates regarding the condition of those injured during the attacks.
According to a post on social media platform X, previously Twitter, from Wes Streeting, the shadow health secretary and representative for Ilford North, a critical incident has been reported in Hainault. Road and station closures have been implemented and emergency services, including the police, the ambulance service, and the fire brigade, are on the scene. One male has been detained.
Eyewitnesses reported a helicopter circling above the location, as police and ambulance services rushed to the scene. The London Fire Brigade stated that firefighters were deployed to aid the police and London Ambulance Service in their response.