Hainault: man arrested on suspicion of murder after 14-year-old boy dies in east London sword attack – as it happened

The mayor of London, Sadiq Khan, has posted this message on X to thank the police and emergency services for their response to the incident in Hainault.

It only took about 22 minutes between police receiving the first 999 call about a man wielding a sword in a quiet suburb of east London and him being fired at with a Taser and arrested.

But in that brief period, a 14-year-old boy was fatally stabbed, and four other people, including two police officers, were injured.

Police described the events of Tuesday morning, near Hainault tube station, as “truly horrific”. “I cannot even begin to imagine how those affected must be feeling,” said Ch Supt Stuart Bell.

The Met police were first alerted “to reports of a vehicle being driven into a house” in Thurlow Gardens just before 7am. Officers said a 36-year-old man got out of the vehicle before carrying out a series of attacks in the surrounding area with a sword, appearing to select victims at random.

A local reverend said today’s events have been a “real shock” to the community as Hainault has been “a fairly peaceful and quiet place”.

Reverend Keith John told Sky News: “The hearts of the whole communities go out to those affected by these events, and especially of course to the family of the young lad who has died.

“It’s something that most of us in the community can barely understand - the horror and the sadness and the shock that his family must be feeling today.”

Prime minster Rishi Sunak sends his “particular heartfelt condolences to the family” of the 14-year-old boy killed in today’s attack, a statement from Downing Street said.

Sunak’s thoughts are with “the whole community and all of those involved”, the statement added and again praises the work of police and other emergency services.

“We continue to reinforce the need to provide them with the time and space to carry out their investigations.”

Footage from a doorbell camera shows police officers Tasering and detaining a sword-wielding man in Hainault, east London.

A 14-year-old boy died after being stabbed after an attack on members of the public and two police officers.

New images released by the PA news agency show the 36-year-old suspect being confronted by police during the attack and being tasered.

Local MP Wes Streeting said he “can’t imagine” what that “poor boy’s family is going through” and shared “deepest heartfelt condolences”.

The Labour MP MP for Ilford North added: “My prayers are also with the other victims of this horrific attack and their loved ones.

“And I know the injuries sustained by the police officers involved will have really affected our whole Metropolitan Police force.

“So I want to thank all of those who are very visible in our community today.”

Jas Athwal, leader of Redbridge Council which covers Hainault, said the four people injured in this morning’s attack are all still in hospital.

He said the community’s “thoughts, prayers, hearts go out to those affected”.

Athwal also tribute to the 14-year-old boy who was killed.

On the 36-year-old suspect in custody, Rolfe said: “We have found no trace of a prior incident involving him so far.”

Rolfe said there will be a significant police presence in the coming days and the Met would like to speak to anyone with relevant information.

She added people “should think very carefully” about what they post on social media after graphic footage of the incident was posted.

Rolfe added: “He has been arrested on suspicion of murder at this time.“

“Given his injuries, we have been unable to interview him.”

Rolfe added: “Our thoughts of course remain with the family and friends of the 14-year-old boy who very sadly died here this morning.

“We’re also thinking of the two members of the public who were injured, as well as brave officers who were stabbed.”

The chairman of the Metropolitan Police Federation, Rick Prior, said the “horrific incident” is a sad reminder of the “incredible bravery” police display in London every day.

Two officers required surgery following the attack.

Prior said: “It’s often forgotten by people who attack our profession and the difficult and dynamic decisions which officers are confronted with on an hourly basis, that we work with heroes whose courage is incredible.

“We shall be supporting our injured colleagues, the officers they work with and their families as best we can at this very difficult time.”

The Metropolitan police has said it is aware of “graphic images” and video that has been circulating on social media after the Hainault attack, and urged people to consider the impact of sharing them, particularly of the 14-year-old boy who was killed.

“Anyone with footage which may assist our criminal inquiry should share it with us urgently,” it wrote in a post on X.

The council in Redbridge, which is the London borough where Hainault is located, has published a statement online saying it believes the close-knit community would have been shaken by the incident.

It reads:

We feel shocked at the news of this morning’s attack in Hainault. Police have detained the suspect, and we are supporting the police investigation.

There are cordens in place in the area this morning but police are not looking for anyone else in connection with the incident and have said there is no further risk to the local people.

Hainault is a close-knit community and we know this will have shaken local people. Our thoughts are with all those affected and their family members.

The investigation is live, and police have asked for anyone with any information to call 999.

If anyone needs further support after seeing or experiencing events this morning, please call the victim support phone line on 0808 1689111.

Footage taken by Sky News showed a police cordon and blood on the ground at the scene of the stabbing attack in east London earlier today. You can watch the video here:

Here are some images of forensic officers at the scene in Hainault after the ‘critical incident’ this morning:

Wes Streeting, the Labour MP for Ilford North who is also the shadow health secretary, has shared a new statement on X, sending his “deepest, heartfelt condolences” to the family of the teenage boy killed in the attack.

Julia Pisarenko, 39, lives on Laing Close where she saw a teenager stabbed. She said a pool of blood remains on the street. She saw the family arrive and put a cloth under his head, and teams of paramedics attempting to revive him.

“I have not very good eyesight, I saw a gentleman with something in his hand, I thought it was a stick or something like this. I saw police officers and then they were screaming to him ‘move back, move back’.

“I saw this guy with a knife he started to run close to his van, a grey colour, it’s still there. He started to run to his car and then he turned around and started to going to a main road, behind the building so I didn’t see how he was running, but I heard police he was calling to him like ‘move back, lay down’.”

A video shared by Julia’s neighbour shows a man in a yellow T-shirt holding a sword in a stand off with police, who are shouting at him. He then runs around the corner and is chased by police.

Susan Hall, the Conservative candidate for London mayor, said “this is truly devastating and heartbreaking, and my thoughts are with the family of the young boy who lost his life today and with those who were injured.”

“I cannot imagine the grief of losing a child at such a young age and our hearts go out to them,” she said, adding:

I also want to commend the bravery of the police officers who put their lives on the line to stop the attacker, and the ambulance workers who attended the scene and helped the victims. I would encourage any witnesses to speak to the police to help with their investigation.

As the Met’s press conference was ending, Ch Supt Stuart Bell refused to be drawn on claims the suspect had been previously arrested.

He said: “I’m not going to be commenting on any of those questions other than the information that I’ve released. We will share that information when we feel it’s appropriate and when we know the answers.”

Ch Supt Bell says the family are being supported by local specialist officers.

“Everyone at the Met is keeping them in their thoughts at this unimaginably difficult time.”

The police press conference seems to have been delayed a little longer, but we’ll bring you all the latest when it starts.

The Metropolitan police are due to give an update on the Hainault attack in about five minutes. We will have a stream of the press conference at the top of the blog.

The PA news agency has looked at the change in the number of knife crime offences recorded in the capital over recent years, and compared this to other police forces in England.

Knife crime offences in London recorded by the Metropolitan police rose year on year in the latest figures, but have not yet returned to levels seen before the Covid-19 pandemic.

An estimated 14,577 offences were recorded in the 12 months to December 2023, Home Office data shows.

This is up 20% from 12,119 in the previous 12 months, but is slightly below the 14,680 in the year to March 2020.

Of the 49,489 knife crime offences recorded in England and Wales in 2023, 29% were by the Metropolitan police, a higher proportion than any other force.

West Midlands police were second, accounting for 11% of the total (5,324 offences), and West Yorkshire police were third on 5% (2,349).

When looking at the number of offences per population, West Midlands police had the highest rate in 2023, with 180 per 100,000 people, followed by the Metropolitan police (165 per 100,000), then Cleveland police (143 per 100,000) and South Yorkshire police (110 per 100,000).

The Met was one of 23 forces in England and Wales to record a year-on-year increase in knife crime offences in 2023, with 17 recording a decrease and one reporting no change …

The figures do not include Greater Manchester police or the Devon & Cornwall force, due to data issues.

The X account of the Metropolitan Police Federation – which represents rank-and-file officers in Britain’s largest force – posted this about the Hainault incident earlier today:

Five people are in hospital and two police officers are said to be among those attacked.

The Metropolitan police’s press conference has been pushed back half an hour to 12:30.

The Metropolitan police’s statement will be read out by Ch Supt Stuart Bell, who leads policing in the area where the attack took place in Hainault, east London.

Hainault Church, located in Franklyn Gardens, nearby the scene, has issued a statement on Facebook.

Its statement, signed off by Reverend Keith John, read:

We are deeply saddened to hear the news of this morning’s critical incident here in Hainault. We pray for those who have been injured, and for their families.

We are grateful to all the first responders who are dealing with the situation with such professionalism.

And, despite this morning’s tragic incident, we celebrate this friendly, multicultural and vibrant community and we pray for all who live here.

A witness to the incident said he heard shrieking before seeing a man dressed in yellow jumping over some fences at about 7am.

The witness said: “I heard shouting, I heard shrieking – I thought ‘who would be shrieking at this time in the morning?’ The shrieking sounded like the police – you know when they are ordering someone to stop or to get on their knees or something – it was like that. It was like ‘stop where you are, put that down, put that down’ – that kind of thing.

“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 … then he went down an alley like he was going back onto the street again.

“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.”

Susan Hall, the Conservative candidate for London mayor, has said the attack in Hainault is “deeply concerning”.

Here are some more images coming from Hainault:

Sky News’ home correspondent Rachael Venables has been reporting from the scene in Hainault and has described a local community traumatised by the attack this morning.

“It’s a really traumatising moment for the local people,” Venables said.

“You can see people stood outside their doors filming the local area as well, speaking, really seeking reassurance while on their own local WhatsApp groups.

“And they speak to neighbours and friends and family trying to work out what happened this morning and whether anyone they know was affected and even injured in this awful attack.”

Here is footage of the alleged attacker in Hainault this morning:

Here is a blurred picture of the alleged attacker in Hainault this morning:

Police say the incident early this morning began in the Thurlow Gardens area, near Hainault station in east London.

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.

The Labour leader Keir Starmer described the news coming from Hainault as “awful” and said his thoughts are with the victims.

Here are some of the latest images from Hainault:

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”.

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.