Terrorist stabbing in London: Police shoot dead suspect, two people hurt
LONDON: One man was shot dead by Scotland Yard in the London borough of Lambeth in what the police described as a terror incident involving two people being stabbed on Sunday.
“We believe there are two injured victims. We await updates on their conditions. The scene has been fully contained. We will issue more information when possible…the incident has been declared as terrorist-related”, the Lambeth police said in a statement.
The London Ambulance Service said it was treating “a number of patients on the scene”.
Witnesses spoke of three gunshots being fired and a man lying on the ground. Police helicopters and ambulances were quickly on the scene after the incident unfolded around 2 pm local time.
Gulled Bulhan, a 19-year-old student told the PA news agency: “I was crossing the road when I saw a man with a machete and silver canisters on his chest being chased by what I assume was an undercover police officer - as they were in civilian clothing”.
“The man was then shot. I think I heard three gun shots but I can’t quite remember. After that I ran into the library to get to safety. From the library I saw a load of ambulances and armed police officers arrive on the scene.”
“We were all informed to stay in buildings by armed police, until we were evacuated,” he said.
The police asked people to avoid Streatham in Lambeth, south London.
The attack is the latest in a series of terror-related incidents in the British capital. On November 29, convicted terrorist Usman Khan killed two people on London Bridge before being shot dead by the police.
“My thoughts are with the injured and all those affected,” Prime Minister Boris Johnson said on Twitter.
“Thank you to all emergency services responding to the incident in Streatham.”