Just as the Tuesday morning rush hour and school run got underway, the quiet residential streets of a northeast London suburb were overtaken by panic and screams.
In the space of less than half an hour in Hainault, a 14-year-old boy and four other people were attacked.
A few hours later, police confirmed the child had died of his injuries.
Witnesses captured footage of a man prowling the streets brandishing a samurai-style sword, as residents were warned to lock their doors.
Police have described the incident as “truly horrific” and are still piecing together how and why this attack unfolded.
Here is what we do already know, from those on the ground who witnessed it close up.
How did the attack play out?
Shortly before 07:00 BST on Tuesday morning, police received reports of a car being driven into a house near Hainault’s Underground rail station.
Witnesses paint a chaotic picture in the neighborhood starting around that time. One told PA news agency they heard a stand-off between police and the suspect in an alley. They said: “From that commotion, at least one person was knifed – I think it might have been a woman because I heard a woman scream and then some sort of sobbing sounds.”I then heard a voice say something like ‘she’s been stabbed in the face’ or ‘we need assistance’ – you know, calling for medical back-up.”Another witness told PA he heard shrieking and police officers confronting the suspect.
He continued: “I looked out the back window because the noise was coming from back there, I saw a bloke dressed in yellow jumping over some fences… I saw a policeman and policewoman – normal coppers with the short-sleeved shirts – who chased after him and they were shouting for him to put it down.”Manpreet Singh told the BBC he saw a “group of people, five or six of them, trying to fight off a guy – he had a sword in his hand”.He told Radio 5 Live he saw the man running towards Hainault’s nearby Underground station and entering a road opposite, before trying to get into a house. Mr Singh said the suspect was trying to fight police officers off and was Tasered.
What do we know about the victims?
There were five victims in total – one of whom has died.
The 14-year-old boy died from stab wounds shortly after being taken to hospital. His identity has not been released and his family is being supported by trained police staff. The boy’s age was originally reported by police incorrectly as 13 years old.
Two other members of the public are still in hospital but their conditions are not considered to be life-threatening, say police.
Two Metropolitan Police officers who were injured have “significant but not life-threatening” injuries and will require surgery, the Met confirmed.
Ambulance crews, specialist critical care paramedics, and London’s Air ambulance treated the five people “with a variety of injuries” before taking them all to hospital, where the boy later died.
Is this incident being classed as a terror attack by police?
No. The Met Police said within hours of the incident that it “does not appear to be terror-related” and also said they did not believe it was a “targeted attack”.
Police have also said they are not looking for any more suspects and there is no ongoing risk to the public.
As of Tuesday afternoon, there was still a large police presence in the area.
What do we know about the suspect?
Police said a 36-year-old man was arrested at the scene on suspicion of murder. He is currently in hospital, having suffered injuries when his van collided with a building.
Given his injuries, police said they are unable to interview him at this time.
Police added that there had been speculation about the man’s background including police contact with him. They said police checks have found no trace of a prior incident involving the man.
In one video, he can be heard shouting in English, though the audio is not clear enough to judge with any certainty what he is saying.
Police have not given any more details about him.
Where did the attack happen?
The incident occurred in Hainault, a suburban area in Ilford, which is part of the London Borough of Redbridge. Hainault is part of Greater London and is around 14 miles (22.5km) from the center of the capital.
Police were informed of a car being driven into a house in Thurlow Gardens before 07:00 BST. Footage has also been shared of the suspect in Laing Close, another residential street just 100m away, where at least one of the victims appears to have been attacked. It is unclear if all five victims were attacked in Laing Close and Thurlow Gardens or whether there were further injuries nearby. A damaged vehicle was also been seen in Laing Close, though it is unclear if the black car was involved in the incident.
