Murder charge in sword attack
A Spanish-Brazilian dual national has been charged with the murder of a schoolboy during a samurai sword rampage in London.
Marcus Aurelio Arduini Monzo, 36, of Newham, east London, will appear at Barkingside Magistrates’ Court today.
Monzo had also been charged with two counts of attempted murder after a further four people – including two police officers – were seriously injured, the Metropolitan Police said.
He has also been charged with two counts of grievous bodily harm, aggravated burglary and possession of a bladed article.
The charges came as the teenager killed in the sword attack was described as “a wonderful, well-loved and hard-working” child whose death had left “a gaping wound in the family”.
Daniel Anjorin, 14, was named as the Bancroft’s School pupil killed in Hainault, north-east London, on Tuesday.
Detective Chief Inspector Larry Smith, who is leading the investigation, said the force was “starting to build a picture of what happened”.
“This is an incredibly tragic incident that has resulted in a young boy losing his life and his family devastated. On behalf of the family, I would ask that their privacy is respected.”
In a statement, Scotland Yard revealed details about the Hainault attacks.
The force said the suspect, wearing a yellow-hooded top, drove a van into a 33-year-old man and a property on Laing Close. The man was then attacked and suffered a wound to his neck.
A 35-year-old was then left with “lacerations to his arm” when he was set upon inside a nearby house. After that, Daniel was attacked and suffered fatal injuries.
Officers arrived within 12 minutes of the first 999 call, which was made shortly before 7am. The suspect was arrested 22 minutes later. Officers used incapacitant spray and Tasers, but these initially had “limited impact”.
Two officers were attacked by the suspect, suffering serious injuries. The Met said they would require long-term rehabilitation. It added: “The suspect fled again before being surrounded by other officers in Thurlow Gardens. They used Taser to overpower him.”
Tributes have poured in for Daniel, who was described as a “true scholar” with a “gentle character” in a statement by his school in Woodford Green.
Only 10 months ago, Grace O’Malley-Kumar, a 19-year-old former pupil at the same private school in Woodford Green, was stabbed to death by Valdo Calocane during a spate of frenzied attacks in Nottingham that left two others dead.
Simon Marshall, the headmaster at the £25,000-a-year school (NZ$52,800), told of the “profound shock and sorrow” felt by pupils and teachers after they learnt of the “heartbreaking news” of Daniel’s death.
The teenager is said to have been travelling from his home in Hainault to school when he was killed.
Marshall said the boy, who joined Bancroft’s aged 7, had demonstrated “commendable dedication to his academic pursuits” and had become a “core member of our community”.
The school’s flag was flying at halfmast on Wednesday as pupils and parents brought flowers to lay at its front gates.
An unnamed relative of the boy told Sky News that he was “a wonderful … well loved … and hard-working” child whose death had left “a gaping wound in the family”