Knifeman stabs three in Manchester terror attack
Police hailed for ‘incredible bravery’ after tackling suspect at rail station
A POLICE sergeant was stabbed after showing “incredible bravery” to prevent a suspected terrorist from rampaging through a train station just yards from the scene of the Manchester Arena suicide bombing.
A couple in their 50s were seriously injured in the “frenzied” and “random” New Year’s Eve attack on a platform at Manchester Victoria Metrolink station.
The police officer, who is in his 30s, was also wounded as he and three colleagues rushed to the scene after hearing “a blood curdling scream”.
Last night, Andy Burnham, the mayor of Manchester, said the attack had been deliberately staged close to the site of the Manchester Arena bombing which killed 22 people in 2017.
Police chiefs and politicians praised the officers’ actions in putting themselves at risk to save the couple and prevent the man, who was dressed in black, marauding through the station just before 9pm. He had been heard shouting Isil-inspired slogans during the attack and after his arrest on suspicion of attempted murder.
Asst Chief Constable Sean O’Callaghan from British Transport Police said yesterday: “I am incredibly proud of the four officers who were immediately on scene last night, detaining a man who was wielding a knife.
“They were fearless, running towards danger and preventing further harm coming to passengers.” The suspect, aged 25, was caught on video shouting “Allahu akbar” – meaning “God is great” in Arabic – as he was ushered into the back of a police van following his arrest. Witnesses said he was heard to scream: “Long live the Caliphate” in possible reference to the Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant (Isil), while another claimed he shouted: “As long as you keep bombing other countries, this sort of s*** is going to keep happening.”
A house in Cheetham Hill, north Manchester – thought to be his last known address – was searched yesterday by counter-terrorism police. Neighbours suggested the suspect was of Somali-origin and was thought to have lived in the Netherlands before moving to the UK about 10 to 15 years ago. One neighbour said his mother, who has five children, was a nurse while his brother worked at Manchester airport.
A police source said the suspect was refusing to cooperate and detectives were working to establish his identity. He is believed to have acted alone and may have been suffering from mental health problems.
The attack took place at a tram station that forms part of the complex that includes the Manchester Arena, where in May 2017, Salman Abedi, an Isil supporter, blew himself up killing 23 people, more than half of them children, as they
‘I saw he had a kitchen knife witha 12-inch blade... itwas pure fear’
left an Ariana Grande concert.
Mr Burnham told reporters: “This attack has brought back some very painful memories, particularly given how close it was to the Manchester Arena, which appears to have been deliberate. But the city is strong, united and resilient and the way the incident was dealt with by the emergency services and others was exemplary.”
Sam Clack (38), a BBC producer who witnessed the attack, said: “What it looked like was a guy in his 60s with a woman of similar age and another guy all dressed in black,” he said.
“It looked like they were having a fight, but she was screaming in this blood-curdling way. I saw police in high-viz come towards him. He came towards me.
“I looked down and saw he had a kitchen knife with a black handle with a good, 12-inch blade. It was just fear, pure fear.”
Mr Clack said police officers used a Taser and pepper spray before “six or seven” officers jumped on him.
As the suspect was held down, he heard him say: “As long as you keep bombing other countries this sort of s*** is going to keep happening.”
Video footage from the scene shows the man pinned to the ground by police. He was thought to have carried two knives, one of which appeared to be a foot-long kitchen knife.
The woman was stabbed in the face – suffering a “significant injury” to her forehead – while the man was wounded in the stomach. They are expected to remain in hospital for some time while the officer stabbed in the shoulder was discharged yesterday morning.
In the days before the New Year’s Eve attack, Isil had urged its followers to carry out a knife attack in the UK.