‘MACHETE’ TERROR AT THE ARNDALE CENTRE
‘Blood was pouring from her. It was like a nightmare’
ANTI-TERROR police were last night quizzing a suspected “lone wolf” knifeman after three people were stabbed at a shopping centre.
Screaming shoppers ran for cover and barricaded themselves in stores as the 41-year-old man went on the rampage in Manchester’s Arndale Centre yesterday.
The terrifying attacks took place just a few hundred yards from Manchester Arena where Islamic State-inspired terrorist Salman Abedi murdered 22 people with a suicide bomb in 2017.
Two unarmed police community support officers (PCSOs) confronted the knifeman before he was cornered by officers with Tasers.
Witnesses said they saw police take away a “12-inch machete”.
The man was being questioned by counter-terror officers last night on suspicion of “the commission, preparation and instigation of an act of terrorism”.
Greater Manchester Police Assistant Chief Constable Russ Jackson said it is not believed anyone else was involved.
Mr Jackson said the suspect was armed with a large knife as he entered the shopping centre around 11am and “lunged” at shoppers and PCSOs who tried to intervene.
He said: “Other officers both armed and unarmed quickly responded and within five minutes he was challenged and detained by armed officers.
“We do not know the motivation for this terrible attack. It appears random, is certainly brutal and of course extremely frightening for anyone who witnessed it.”
A 19-year-old woman and another woman of unknown age were taken to hospital with stab injuries and were stable.
A man in his 50s was also hospitalised with serious back and stomach wounds, but was said to be in a stable condition, while a woman in her 40s was treated for shock.
“Although the injuries are nasty we are told that, thankfully, none are life-threatening,” Mr Jackson added.
He said the force had increased patrols in the area but: “We do not believe there is a wider threat.”
One shopper described seeing the knifeman plunge his blade into the back of one victim.
They said: “I heard a woman scream. I span around and saw this guy who had a knife in his hand.
“It looked like he had stabbed her back.There was blood pouring from her and she just fell to the floor.
“As soon as I saw the knife I just ran as fast as I could and was warning others what happened.
“It was like a nightmare. Like something out of a horror film. It was awful. I can’t get that image out of my head.”
Bystander Freddie Houlder, 22, said a woman came into the store where he was and yelled: “A guy just ran past and tried to stab me!” Mr Houlder added: “Luckily she had quite a thick jacket – she thought originally it was a fake knife because of how easily it grazed off.
“But police came in and said it was a real knife and she burst into tears. She was so lucky she was wearing a thick jacket.
“He was running around going for as many people as possible.”
Shopper Janet Loudon, 21, said she had seen the suspect shouting.
She said: “I carried on walking but saw police run inside the Arndale and heard someone shout ‘knife’ and another shout ‘bomb’.
He was swearing and telling the public, ‘I’m going to **** you up’ repeatedly and he got more and more agitated.”
The Arndale Centre was evacuated after the attack. In 1996 the centre was damaged in a major IRA bomb attack in which more than 200 people were injured.
Last night Prime Minister Boris Johnson tweeted: “Shocked by the incident in Manchester and my thoughts are with the injured and all those affected.
“Thank you to our excellent emergency services who responded and who are now investigating what happened.”