.png)
What we know so far...
A man with a sword has been arrested after an attack on members of the public and police officers in Hainault, east London, police have said.
Five people were taken to hospital after the incident, London ambulance service said.
The Metropolitan police said officers were initially called to reports of a vehicle being driven into a house in Thurlow Gardens.
The force said there were reports of people being stabbed during the incident and the suspect is understood to have gone on to attack other members of the public and two police officers.
A 36-year-old man was arrested at the scene and is in custody, police said.
The Met said it is not looking for anyone else in connection with the incident and it is not believed to be terror-related.
A picture of the alleged attacker has been circulating on social media.
Hainault underground station is closed due to a police investigation in the area, Transport for London said.
London’s mayor, Sadiq Khan, said he was “absolutely devastated” at hearing of the incident and was in close contact with the Met police commissioner.
Key events Show key events only Please turn on JavaScript to use this feature
Here is footage of the alleged attacker with a knife in Hainault this morning:
Rishi Sunak 'shocked' by Hainault attack
The UK’s prime minister, Rishi Sunak, has described the attack in Hainault as “shocking” and said that “such violence has no place on our streets”.
The ambulance service said five people have been taken to hospital. Two police officers were reported to be among those who were attacked.
This is a shocking incident. My thoughts are with those affected and their families.
I'd like to thank the emergency services for their ongoing response, and pay tribute to the extraordinary bravery shown by police on the scene.
Such violence has no place on our streets. https://t.co/ekaNY9PY7g
What we know so far...
A man with a sword has been arrested after an attack on members of the public and police officers in Hainault, east London, police have said.
Five people were taken to hospital after the incident, London ambulance service said.
The Metropolitan police said officers were initially called to reports of a vehicle being driven into a house in Thurlow Gardens.
The force said there were reports of people being stabbed during the incident and the suspect is understood to have gone on to attack other members of the public and two police officers.
A 36-year-old man was arrested at the scene and is in custody, police said.
The Met said it is not looking for anyone else in connection with the incident and it is not believed to be terror-related.
A picture of the alleged attacker has been circulating on social media.
Hainault underground station is closed due to a police investigation in the area, Transport for London said.
London’s mayor, Sadiq Khan, said he was “absolutely devastated” at hearing of the incident and was in close contact with the Met police commissioner.
Here is a blurred picture of the alleged attacker in Hainault this morning:
Five people taken to hospital after Hainault attack, ambulance service says
Five people have been taken to hospital after the attack in Hainault, London ambulance service (LAS) has said.
An LAS spokesperson said in a statement:
We were called at 6.54am this morning to reports of an incident near Hainault underground station.
We sent resources to the scene including ambulance crews, clinicians in response cars, advanced paramedics and London’s air ambulance.
At this time we understand members of the public and two police officers had been attacked.
Working together with our emergency services partners, we treated five people on the scene and took all five to hospital. All crews have now left the scene.
A 36-year-old man is in custody and police say the incident is not thought to be terrorism-related.
Police say the incident early this morning began in the Thurlow Gardens area, near Hainault station in east London.
The Metropolitan Police said officers were called to reports of a vehicle being driven into a house in Hainault at around 7am on Tuesday.The Metropolitan Police said officers were called to reports of a vehicle being driven into a house in Hainault at around 7am on Tuesday.The home secretary, James Cleverly, said he is being regularly updated about the incident in Hainault and thanked emergency responders for responding to the attack.
“I would urge people not to speculate or share footage online and provide relevant information to the police,” he wrote on X.
I am being regularly updated about the incident at Hainault Station this morning
My thoughts are with those who have been affected & thank you to the emergency responders
I would urge people not to speculate or share footage online and provide relevant information to the police
The Labour leader Keir Starmer described the news coming from Hainault as “awful” and said his thoughts are with the victims.
Mayor of London 'absolutely devastated' by Hainault attack
The mayor of London, Sadiq Khan, said he was “absolutely devastated” by the attack in Hainault this morning and thanked the emergency services for “running towards danger”. He said there would be more resources deployed in the area.
In a post on X, he said:
I remain in constant contact with the Commissioner. A man has been arrested and the area secured. The police are not looking for anyone else in connection with this incident. There will be additional reassurance patrols in the area.
The police officers and emergency services showed the best of our city – running towards danger to protect others and I thank them from the bottom of my heart.
I would urge people not to speculate until the details of this incident are confirmed by the police and avoid posting footage on social media.
Here are some of the latest images from Hainault:
Local MP advises public against speculation over 'critical incident'
Wes Streeting, the shadow health secretary and MP for Ilford North, said the emergency services were responding to a “critical incident” in Hainault.
He advised members of the public to not speculate about what may have happened as details are still emerging of the incident.
In a follow-up post on X, Streeting said he was in contact with the Metropolitan police, the Mayor of London, Sadiq Khan, and Redbridge council, adding that he would update local residents as soon as he could.
A critical incident has been declared in Hainault. There are station and road closures in place. The Police, Ambulance Service and Fire Brigade are responding.
One male detained.
I would urge people not to speculate until details are confirmed or post footage on social media.
The PA news agency has spoken to a man who has described the scene near Hainault station in east London.
Peter Kingdom, 56, an IT analyst from Hainault, said:
As I was walking to the station, I saw an ambulance heading towards the scene and another leaving.
The road was blocked either side of the station entrance and all transport in the area was suspended (Tube and buses). There was a helicopter circling the area.
I didn’t see the man, just the ambulances, police, etc. I wasn’t concerned at first, but was a bit anxious to get back home after finding out what had happened.
Here is the Redbridge Borough Police’s statement in full. They do not believe there is any “ongoing threat” to the wider community and say they are awaiting an update on the condition of the people injured in the “serious incident”.
Police and emergency services are in Hainault at a serious incident in which a man with a sword has been arrested.
Read and share our latest update below.
We do not believe there is any ongoing threat to the wider community - this incident does not appear to be terror-related. pic.twitter.com/M2ljxeBu32
The London fire brigade (LFB) said it was called to assist at the incident in Hainault. A 36-year-old man is in custody and police believe the incident is not terrorism-related.
An LFB spokesperson said:
Firefighters were mobilised to assist police and London ambulance service colleagues at an incident near Hainault underground station.
Crews supported London ambulance service crews in the provision of immediate emergency care.
The brigade was called at 0735 and the incident was over for firefighters by 0924. Fire crews from Dagenham, Walthamstow, Ilford, Romford, Hainault, East Ham and surrounding fire stations attended the scene.
Hainault underground station “is closed due to a police investigation in the area”, Transport for London said, with nearby roads closed and local buses on diversion as police and ambulance arrive at the scene.
Man with sword arrested after attack on public and police in Hainault, east London
A man with a sword has been arrested after an attack on members of the public and police officers in Hainault on Monday.
In a statement, the Metropolitan police said: “Police and other emergency services are in Hainault, east London, at a serious incident in which a man with a sword has been arrested.
“We were called shortly before 7am to reports of a vehicle being driven into a house in the Thurlow Gardens area. There were reports people have been stabbed.
“At this time we understand the suspect went on to attack other members of the public and two police officers.
“We are awaiting an update on the condition of those injured. A 36-year-old man was arrested at the scene and he is in custody.”
The Metropolitan police added that officers are not looking for more suspects and the attack “does not appear to be terror related”.
