On 10th February (Tuesday), a 13-year-old boy was taken into custody after stabbing two students at Kingsbury High School in Brent, north-west London, in the United Kingdom. Witnesses unveiled that he yelled “Allahu Akbar” before attacking his targets, aged 12 and 13, reported Daily Mail. The accused is under interrogation as the probe is headed by counter-terrorism officers.
The victims were sent to the hospital, and one of them had been moved to a trauma centre “as a priority.” Both are considered to be in critical condition. According to police, the perpetrator was nabbed in the afternoon following “urgent inquiries” after he left the location. A weapon believed to have been employed in the attack has also been found by the authorities.
According to reports, the entire incident took place inside a science classroom on the school’s Bacon Lane campus. Simon Theodoru, father of an 8-year-old daughter, asserted to have heard that a former student had returned to the school and singled out a pupil while another student was stabbed while trying to sound the fire alarm. According to a different parent, the school was holding the youngsters as possible witnesses.
Detective Chief Superintendent Luke Williams stated, “This is a fast-moving and developing investigation. At this very early stage, we are keeping an open mind as to any motivation behind this attack. However, due to the surrounding circumstances, the investigation is now being led by officers from Counter Terrorism Policing London, who are working closely with our local officers in response to this incident.”
“I absolutely recognise that this incident will cause considerable concern among the local community, students and parents. Our officers will remain in the area to offer support and answer any questions,” he further mentioned. “The investigation has not currently been declared a terrorist incident, and the investigation team will now be working at pace to gather any evidence and to establish the full circumstances of what’s happened as quickly as possible,” the official added.
“We sent resources to the scene, including ambulance crews, incident response officers, an advanced paramedic, a paramedic from our tactical response unit and a clinical team manager. We also dispatched a trauma team in a car from London’s Air Ambulance. We treated two patients in total. We took one patient to the hospital and the other as a priority to a major trauma centre,” informed spokesperson of London Ambulance Service (LAS), noting that the service was summoned at 12.41 pm on Tuesday.
While confirming that the campus remained under lockdown while the emergency response proceeded, Kingsbury High School declared that the situation was now under control. “We want to make you aware that there has been a serious incident at Kingsbury High School today. We are working closely with the relevant authorities and following all necessary procedures. The situation is now under control, and we have already spoken directly with the parents and carers of the students involved,” the institution stated.
“At present, it is not possible to enter or leave the school site while the response continues. We will provide further updates as soon as we can share confirmed information,” it expressed.
