Hainault sword attack: Child dies and four taken to hospital after sword attack in northeast London

30 April 2024, 10:43 | Updated: 30 April 2024, 17:41

A 14-year-old boy has died and four people are in hospital after a stabbing attack in northeast London.

Police were called to reports around 7am that a 36-year-old man was wielding a sword and attacking members of the public.

Officers were also caught up in the rampage in Hainault, northeast London, near the Tube station.

Police also said the man crashed a vehicle into a house in nearby Thurlow Gardens, before reportedly stabbing a number of people and being arrested.

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London Ambulance Service said they treated five people at the scene and took them to hospital - including the 14-year-old boy.

In an update this afternoon, Chief Superintendent Stuart Bell, who leads local policing, confirmed the teenage boy had died.

He said: "He was taken to hospital after being stabbed and sadly died a short while after.

"The child's family are being supported firstly by my local officers and now with some specialist officers and everyone across the Met is keeping them in our thoughts at this unimaginably difficult time."

He also confirmed two other members of the public were in hospital with injuries believed to be not life-threatening.

Along with them, two officers received "significant" but not life-threatening injuries and will undergo surgery, the police chief said.

Officers arrested the man 22 minutes after the first call went into emergency services.

In another update just before 4.30pm today, the Met's Assistant Commissioner Louisa Rolfe said the man arrested is in hospital after suffering "injuries" when his van collided with a building.

Police have been unable to interview him due to his injuries, she added.

Ms Rolfe also addressed speculation over whether the 36-year-old was known to police. After "extensive checks" - which remain ongoing - officers "have found no trace of a prior incident involving him so far," she said.

The assistant commissioner concluded her statement by reminding the public to "think very carefully" about social media posts related to the incident.

"There are some images circulating online and people should consider the impact of those on the families and those most closely affected by this incident," she said.

Addressing the media alongside Ms Rolfe, Redbridge Council leader Jas Athwal said the four people injured remain in hospital.

Doorbell footage showing the moment the suspect was cornered and apprehended has since emerged.

The sword-wielding man can be seen walking across a driveway as police surround him and shout.

The man is then tasered and at least six officers rush towards him to make the arrest.

Eyewitnesses described hearing shrieking and seeing someone receive CPR at the scene of the stabbings.

Video showed a man wielding a large sword outside a number of residential properties.

Police added they did not think it was a targeted attack, or terror-related, and they were working to establish the circumstances of what took place.

Eyewitnesses heard 'screams and shrieking' after Hainault sword attack

Chris Bates told Sky News he saw police apprehend a suspect wielding a "big samurai sword".

He said that, after confronting the suspect, police screamed at them to drop the sword, before they Tasered him, and "piled on top of him", arresting him.

Another local resident said she saw a body on the ground as she hid by her window, while a sword-wielding man shouted "do you believe in God?" outside her home.

The witness, who didn't want to be named, said: "He was wielding his sword trying to attack the police but then they sprayed him and he ran away.

"He was shouting at the police 'do you believe in God?', also at the ambulance.

"We were very scared and trying to hide and not show ourselves through the window, because he was standing right next to our house and he could have seen us if he looked up.

"We were trying to hide but also at the same time taking video of him attacking the police, and of the body on the floor, so, yeah, we were very scared and we didn't know what to do."

The King has asked to be kept informed of the incident and has sent his thoughts to those affected.

A Buckingham Palace spokesman said: "Following the horrific scenes in Hainault this morning, the King has asked to be kept fully informed as details of the incident become clearer.

"His thoughts and prayers are with all those affected - in particular, the family of the young victim who has lost his life - and he salutes the courage of the emergency services who helped contain the situation."

Politicians were quick to offer their condolences after news emerged of the attack.

Prime Minister Rishi Sunak said: "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."

Local MP, and Labour shadow minister, Wes Streeting said the whole community was "devastated" by news of the attack but "deserved answers".

Mayor of London Sadiq Khan praised the "everyday bravery" of the police officers who ran towards the sword-wielding man.

He added: "This attack is devastating and appalling. I'm sure I speak on behalf of the entire city when I say my thoughts and prayers are with this young child and his family."

(c) Sky News 2024: Hainault sword attack: Child dies and four taken to hospital after sword attack in northeast London