Suspect arrested over stab attack
POLICE have searched the home of a terror suspect accused of carrying out a “frenzied” New Year’s Eve stabbing which left three people hurt.
Greater Manchester Police said the 25-year-old is being held on suspicion of attempted murder after a couple were left with serious injuries, while a police officer was also stabbed as he tried to stop the suspect.
Prime Minister Theresa May joined British Transport Police in commending the emergency services for containing the threat during the incident, which occurred at around 9pm on New Year’s Eve at Manchester Victoria Station.
Assistant Chief Constable Russ Jackson, of Greater Manchester Police, said the suspect lived in the Cheetham Hill area of the city and counter-terrorism officers were at his address.
He said a couple aged in their 50s suffered multiple stab wounds in the “random” attack.
The suspect was heard to shout “Allah” and “Long live the Caliphate” during the incident at the station, which is next to Manchester Arena where suicide bomber Salman Abedi killed 22 people on May 22, 2017.
Mr Jackson said: “There is wide reporting in the press about what the attacker allegedly said during the incident and because of this, we want to be clear, we are treating this as a terrorism investigation.
“However it’s really important to stress we are retaining an open mind in relation to the motivation for this attack.
“We know the attacker arrived at the location and soon after he attacked two people, a man and a woman, who have suffered very serious injuries. Thankfully these are not life-threatening.”
A British Transport Police officer was also injured as officers on patrol “bravely and immediately” confronted the attacker with Tasers and pepper spray.
Mr Jackson said police are still trying to establish if the suspect is a British national and how he came to be at the station.
He said police recovered two knives but do not yet know if both were used in the attack.
Sam Clack, a BBC producer, was on a platform at Manchester Victoria waiting for a tram home when he witnessed the attack.
The 38-year-old said: “I just heard this most blood-curdling scream and looked down the platform.
“What it looked like was a guy in his 60s with a woman of similar age and another guy all dressed in black. It looked like they were having a fight but she was screaming in this blood-curdling way.
“I saw police in high-vis 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 he heard the suspect saying: “As long as you keep bombing other countries this sort of s*** is going to keep happening.”