[WATCH] UK police investigate London stabbing as ‘terrorist incident’
Attacker reportedly shouted ‘this is for Syria’ before launching knife attack on three people at a London underground station
A man allegedly screamed 'this is for Syria' before launching a knife attack
A man reportedly shouted “this is for Syria” as he launched a knife attack on three people at a London underground station in what police have described as a terrorist incident.
Witnesses claimed that the attacker, who was said to be wielding a machete, said “blood will be spilled” before launching the attack at Leytonstone station in east London.
Footage posted online shows a large pool of blood splattered across the floor, as the man, is seen threatening other passengers in the station before being tasered by police officers and arrested.
A man, believed to be aged 56, suffered knife wounds that were serious but not believed to be life-threatening, while two other people sustained minor injuries in Saturday’s attack.
Commander Richard Walton, who leads the Met’s counter-terrorism command, said: “We are treating this as a terrorist incident. I would urge the public to remain calm, but alert and vigilant. The threat from terrorism remains at severe, which means that a terrorist attack is highly likely.
"The threat from terrorism remains at severe, which means that a terrorist attack is highly likely."
An eyewitness to the knife attack was quoted as saying the attacker had screamed about Syria.
"I just saw a lot of people running but I ignored it and kept walking to get my train, but suddenly what I saw, I couldn’t believe my eyes and what I saw was a guy with a knife,” an eyewitness said.
“As he was coming out this is what he said: 'This is what happens when you f*** with mother Syria, all of your blood will be spilled.'"
Britain is on its second-highest alert level of "severe", meaning a militant attack is considered highly likely, mainly because of the threat posed by Islamic State militants in Syria and Iraq who are encouraging supporters to attack the West.
After Islamic State militants claimed responsibility for the attacks on Paris last month that killed 130 people, British Prime Minister David Cameron won approval from lawmakers on Wednesday to bomb the Islamist group in Syria.
British warplanes first bombed oil fields controlled by Islamic State on Thursday. Cameron said air strikes would not increase the chances of an attack on Britain, since militants already viewed Britain as a top target with seven plots foiled over the past year.
