A man wielding a sword has been arrested after members of the public and police officers were attacked in Hainault, northeast London.
Officers were called shortly before 7am to reports of a vehicle being driven into a house in the Thurlow Gardens area, with reports that people had been stabbed. Scotland Yard believes the suspect went on to attack other members of the public and two police officers.
A 36-year-old man has been arrested and emergency services are at the scene in Hainault, where the Tube station and nearby roads are closed, the Metropolitan Police said. Unverified footage shared on social media appeared to show a man wielding a long knife outside someone’s home.
Police are not looking for further suspects, and said the incident did not appear to be terror-related – nor was there believed to be an ongoing threat to the wider community.
“This must have been a terrifying incident for those concerned. I know the wider community will be feeling shock and alarm,” said Deputy Assistant Commissioner Ade Adelekan.
Key Points
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Police officers among those believed to have been attacked in Hainault
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Man, 36, arrested after suspect seen wielding sword
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Officers called to reports of car being driven into a home in llford
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Incident not believed to be terror-related, police say
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What we know so far about ‘terrifying’ Hainault incident
Witness describes ‘stand-off in alley between police and attacker’
10:27 , Andy Gregory
A witness to the Hainault attacks said there appeared to be a stand-off between police and the suspect in an alleyway before he heard a woman scream.
The man, who asked not to be named, said: “I also heard the words ‘he’s got a massive knife’, or ‘he’s got a massive sword’. Then he disappeared down this alley and then he was out of sight.
“They [the police] went into the alley and there seemed to be some sort of a stand-off there where I heard this huge commotion, then I heard a scream.
“From that commotion at least one person was knifed – I think it might have been a woman because I heard a woman scream and then some sort of sobbing sounds.
“I then heard a voice say something like ‘she’s been stabbed in the face’ or ‘we need assistance’ – you know, calling for medical back-up.”
What we know so far about ‘terrifying’ Hainault incident
10:22 , Andy Gregory
Here is a quick round-up of what we know so far about the incident in northeast London this morning:
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Police were called shortly before 7am to reports of a vehicle being driven into a home on Thurlow Gardens, near Hainault Tube station. There were reports that people had been stabbed.
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The suspect is thought to have gone on to attack other members of the public and two police officers.
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Police are awaiting an update on the conition of those injured.
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A 36-year-old man was arrested with a sword at the scene and is in custody.
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Hainault Tube station and the surrounding roads were closed as police investigate.
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The attack does not appear to be terror-related and there is not believed to be an ongoing threat to the wider community, police have said.
Sadiq Khan thanks emergency service for ‘running towards danger’
10:17 , Andy Gregory
Mayor of London Sadiq Khan said he was “absolutely devastated” by the attack in Hainault and thanked the emergency services for “running towards danger”.
He said: “I remain in constant contact with the Commissioner. A man has been arrested and the area secured. The police are not looking for anyone else in connection with this incident. There will be additional reassurance patrols in the area.
“The police officers and emergency services showed the best of our city – running towards danger to protect others and I thank them from the bottom of my heart.
“I would urge people not to speculate until the details of this incident are confirmed by the police and avoid posting footage on social media.”
Home secretary being updated on Hainault incident
10:08 , Andy Gregory
Home secretary James Cleverly has said he is receiving regular updates about the incident in Hainault.
“I am being regularly updated about the incident at Hainault Station this morning,” said Mr Cleverly.
“My thoughts are with those who have been affected & thank you to the emergency responders I would urge people not to speculate or share footage online and provide relevant information to the police.”
I am being regularly updated about the incident at Hainault Station this morning
My thoughts are with those who have been affected & thank you to the emergency responders
I would urge people not to speculate or share footage online and provide relevant information to the police
— James Cleverly🇬🇧 (@JamesCleverly) April 30, 2024
Video report: Police attend ‘critical incident’ amid reports of stabbing near Hainault Tube station
10:00 , Andy Gregory
Witness says he was woken by shouting to see someone being stabbed
09:59 , Barney Davis
A witness told The Independent: “I was woken up by loud shouting outside and then I saw someone stab another kid.
“Then police arrived like crazy. The young man made his way towards the station and I’m not sure what happened there.
“I couldn’t really hear what was being said to be honest. He had a big sword though and was right outside my door.
“I’m just lucky my mum’s okay. She was about to leave for work.”
On one of the alleged victims, he added: “It was young man. He lives around the corner and was probably off to school.”
You can also refresh our breaking report below for updates:
‘Critical incident’ after reports of stabbing at Hainault tube station
Incident not believed to be terror-related, police say
09:56 , Andy Gregory
Police do not believe the incident is terror-related and there is not thought to be any further threat to the wider community.
In their statement, Scotland Yard said: “We do not believe there is any ongoing threat to the wider community.
“We are not looking for more suspects. This incident does not appear to be terror-related.”
At least six fire crews scrambled to assist police and paramedics
09:55 , Andy Gregory
The London Fire Brigade said it was called to assist the incident in Hainault.
“Firefighters were mobilised to assist police and London Ambulance Service colleagues at an incident near Hainault Underground Station,” it said in a statement.
“Crews supported London Ambulance Service crews in the provision of immediate emergency care.
“The Brigade was called at 7.35am and the incident was over for firefighters by 9.24am.
“Fire crews from Dagenham, Walthamstow, Ilford, Romford, Hainault, East Ham and surrounding fire stations attended the scene.”
Van ‘ploughed into house’, witness says
09:51 , Barney Davis
One neighbour said he was woken up when a van “ploughed into the house” opposite him.
He told The Independent that he had heard his neighbour “moaning and crying that someone had been hurt or even worse”.
“I jumped out of bed and have seen the van reverse out of the house. It drove up the road, where I believe he attacked someone else. It’s really bad,” he said.
Incident ‘must have been terrifying’, says police chief
09:46 , Andy Gregory
Metropolitan Police Deputy Assistant Commissioner Ade Adelekan said: “This must have been a terrifying incident for those concerned.
“I know the wider community will be feeling shock and alarm.
“People will want to know what has happened and will we provide more information as soon as we can.”
Police officers among those believed to have been attacked
09:45 , Andy Gregory
A suspect wielding a sword is believed to have attacked several members of the public and two police officers, the Metropolitan Police has said.
Police are awaiting an update on the condition of those injured.
A 36-year-old man was arrested at the scene and he is in custody.
Police called to reports of vehicle being driven into a house
09:42 , Andy Gregory
The Metropolitan Police said officers were called shortly before 7am to reports of a vehicle being driven into a house in the Thurlow Gardens area.
There were reports that people had been stabbed, the force said.
Man with sword allegedly ‘waited outside houses’ and attacked ‘random residents’
09:40 , Amy-Clare Martin, Crime Correspondent
Footage posted on social media following the incident shows a man carrying what appears to be a samurai sword.
According to the unverified posts, the attacker “waited outside houses and attacked random residents”.
The footage shows the man – wearing a yellow jumper and black trousers – waiting in people’s front gardens with the weapon as emergency services cars were nearby.
09:39 , Andy Gregory
A man has been arrested in Hainault, northeast London, following reports of a stabbing and car being driven into a building.
We’ll be using this blog to bring you the latest updates.