Another attack in London: Man wielding 4-foot sword
The Washington Post
Rattling a city that’s been rocked by two large-scale terrorist attacks in less than four months, a man wielding a 4-foot sword and screaming “Allahu akbar” attacked three officers in London Friday night, police said.
The attack near one of London’s tourist magnets sent two officers to the hospital, although their injuries weren’t life-threatening.
The incident, which police have called a terrorist act, happened around 8:30 p.m. Friday. The officers were patrolling a restricted area of Constitution Hill near Buckingham Palace when a blue car drove up to their van, according to a statement by the Metropolitan Police.
“As they challenged the driver, who was the only occupant in the car, he reached for what we now know to be a four-foot sword,” the statement said.
He was subdued with irritant spray, police said. The third officer wasn’t injured. Most officers in London don’t carry guns.
“We turned up, and there was one police van and one car; there was also a civilian’s car that had veered towards the police car,” Kiana Williamson, an eyewitness, told BBC. “They were trying to get the man out of the car, shouting; more police were arriving on to the scene and the man was fighting back.”
Police have not released the suspect’s name, but said he is 26 and from the Luton area, about 45 miles northwest of Buckingham Palace.
He was arrested on suspicion of inflicting grievous bodily harm and assaulting police. He also faces charges under Terrorism Act 2000.
As the suspect sat in a jail cell in central London, investigators fanned out to the town where he lives. Saturday, they were conducting searches connected to the case. Investigators said they believe the man acted alone and that they weren’t looking for other suspects in the case.
“This is a timely reminder that the threat from terrorism in the U.K. remains severe,” said Cmdr. Dean Haydon, who heads the police department’s counterterrorism unit. “The police, together with the security services, are doing everything we can to protect the public and we already have an enhanced policing plan over the Bank Holiday weekend to keep the public safe.”
Friday’s attack was the latest in a string of suspected terrorism incidents for a city and nation that’s been besieged by them this year, including two involving vehicles driven into crowds.
In May, a suicide bomber ignited explosives at an Ariana Grande concert, killing 22 people, many of them teens. The Islamic State group claimed responsibility.