London Stabbing Spree: American Woman Killed, 5 Others Injured, Not An Act Of Terror? [VIDEO]
The 19-year-old man responsible for the deadly stabbing spree in London Wednesday night does not seem to be related to any terror groups, according to preliminary police investigations. Instead, authorities have alleged that the mental health of the suspect, a naturalized Norwegian who was originally from Somalia, seemed to have played a key role in the deadly incident.
Metropolitan Police Assistant Commissioner Mark Rowley described the police's current findings.
"So far we have found no evidence of radicalization or anything that would suggest the man in our custody was motivated by terrorism," he said.
"While the investigation is not yet complete, all of the work that we have done so far increasingly points to this tragic incident as having been triggered by mental health issues."
The suspect initiated his attack in central London's Russell Square at around 10:30 p.m. local time on Wednesday. The police were immediately called, but by the time they arrived on the scene, six people had been injured. One of the 19-year-old's victims, an American woman in her 60s, ultimately died from her injuries.
The other five, who were from the United States, Australia, Israel and Britain, were treated in a medical facility. Among the five who were injured, three were discharged from the hospital while two were confined for additional treatment.
The suspect was apprehended by police officers after he was shot with a Taser. During the incident, the authorities did not fire a single bullet.
The suspect was briefly treated in a medical facility, before being moved to a police station in South London. As of writing, the identity of the 19-year-old attacker has not been revealed by the police.
While there seems to be evidence that the man had no connections with radical Islamic groups, his choice for the site of his attack is very interesting. Back in 2005, Russell Square also became the site of a bus bombing, as part of a coordinated terror attack that took 52 lives and shook London to its core.
Europe has been a target of terror attacks lately, with airport bombings in Brussels and Istanbul and a deadly truck attack in France. The whole region remains on high alert.
