At least three people have died, and three more have been seriously injured after the stabbings in Reading park, the local police authorities confirmed. On suspicion of murder, a 25-years old man has been arrested after being detained at the scene on Saturday.
Several people were stabbed in the attack that happened in Forbury Gardens. Though the police are not treating the incident as a terror-related activity, counter-terrorism experts were also called.
BBC reported that the man arrested at the scene by police is thought to be a Libyan. It added that the man had been in prison previously for a relatively minor crime, not any terrorism-related offense.
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According to a local media outlet, a police officer had “rugby tackled” the suspect to the ground. Ian Hunter, from Thames Valley Police, said that the authorities were looking for other people in connection with Saturday attacks.
Police authorities have urged the residents to come forward with any video footage of the incident and asked them not to post the videos online or at social media platforms, out of respect for the families of the victims.
They also clarified that the attacks were not related to the earlier Black Lives Matter event held in the park. Later, dozens of police officers carrying shields were seen in Basingstoke Road, entering a block of flats. BBC reported that a loud bang was heard outside the block.
Meanwhile, the Prime Minister of the UK Boris Johnson condemned that attack and thanked the emergency services on the scene. Emergency air ambulances were called at the scene of the incident, and five ambulance crews from South Central Ambulance Service also attended.
UK’s Home Minister, Priti Patel, took to Twitter and said that she was deeply concerned about the unfortunate incident. Later, she also issued a statement describing the attacks as a “senseless attack” on civilians enjoying their Saturday.
The opposition labor leader, Sir Keir Starmer, condemned that attacks and said that the incident was very concerning.
A few hours before the attack, the Black Lives Matter protest was also held in the park. Nieema Hassan, the organizer of the rally, said in a video message that all the protesters were very peaceful and cooperated with police liaison.
