A 13-year-old boy launched a violent attack in a school on Tuesday, resulting in two children being critically injured in what is suspected to be a terror-related incident.
The attack unfolded in a classroom just before lunchtime when the teenager brandished a knife and assaulted a 13-year-old boy, targeting his neck and back, while reportedly shouting “Allahu Akbar,” according to witnesses.
Moments later, a 12-year-old boy also fell victim to the attacker in front of horrified classmates at Kingsbury High School located in Brent, north-west London.
Armed police quickly responded to the scene, but the assailant had already escaped. Authorities apprehended a suspect, whose identity remains undisclosed, on charges of attempted murder after discovering him hiding nearby approximately an hour later.
It was revealed that the suspect was not enrolled at Kingsbury High, prompting concerns about how he managed to enter the premises with a hidden weapon.
As of Tuesday, both injured boys remain in critical condition at the hospital. Scotland Yard reported that counter-terrorism officers are spearheading the investigation, suspecting the attack was driven by ideological motives.
Police have yet to formally declare that the stabbings were a terrorist attack as officers were still carrying out searches related to the suspect on Tuesday night.
Many of the youngsters who witnessed the stabbing spree were held in the school hall for several hours while police carried out inquiries.
A boy of 13 is accused of launching into a stabbing rampage in a north-west London school on Tuesday, leaving two children fighting for their lives in a suspected terror attack
In the middle of a classroom just before lunch, a teenager pulled out a knife and stabbed a 13-year-old boy in the neck and back while shouting ‘Allahu Akbar’, witnesses said
The attack unfolded at Kingsbury High School on Bacon Lane in Brent at around 12.40pm, police said
The father of one pupil said: ‘He [the attacker] came into the school and my son saw him stab a child in the neck.
‘Two boys were on the floor and the other children thought they were just playing. But then they didn’t get up. It’s awful.’
A woman said her sister was in the classroom next door when the attack started.
She said: ‘They heard screaming and crying. Our parents are travelling and they saw it on the news and were so worried.
‘My brother was really scared to go back to school. How can you after a stabbing?’
A father of another pupil added: ‘My child is traumatised.’
Maeve O’Callaghan-Harrington, who lives locally, said she heard children sobbing as they left school with their parents.
She said: ‘I walked outside and heard one boy saying, ‘Mummy, Mummy, it was in his neck’.’
Detective Chief Superintendent Luke Williams said police were ‘keeping an open mind as to any motivation behind the attack’.
He added: ‘The suspect, who we believe to be 13, left the scene following the stabbing. After urgent inquiries, our officers arrested him and also recovered a weapon which we believe to have been used in the stabbing.
‘The suspect was arrested on suspicion of attempted murder and remains in custody for questioning by our officers.’
Scotland Yard said counter terrorism police were leading the investigation amid suspicions it was an ideologically motivated attack (Pictured: Tuesday evening’s Met Police press conference)
Police have yet to formally declare that the stabbings were a terrorist attack as officers were still carrying out searches related to the suspect on Tuesday night
Kingsbury headteacher Alex Thomas said: ‘This has been a deeply traumatic event for the whole school community.
‘We are working closely with the authorities.’
Home Secretary Shabana Mahmood said her thoughts and prayers were with the two victims and their families, adding: ‘The police have arrested the suspect, and I would like to thank them for their rapid work in doing so. We must now give them the space to pursue their investigation.’
Education Secretary Bridget Phillipson added: ‘I am heartbroken to hear about the stabbings at a school in Brent.’
The leader of Brent Council, Muhammed Butt, said it was ‘horrifying’ to think that a youngster had carried out a knife attack in a school, adding: ‘No parent should ever have to fear for their child’s safety at school.’
Kingsbury High School is an academy with 1,997 pupils aged 11 to 18. It was previously known as the Kingsbury County School, whose alumni included George Michael, jazz musician Courtney Pine and Floyd Steadman, the first black captain of the Saracens rugby team.
London mayor Sir Sadiq Khan urged anyone with information about the attack to come forward, adding: ‘My thoughts are with the family, friends and wider community in Brent following the appalling stabbings.
‘This awful violence has absolutely no place in our city.
‘A suspect has been arrested and I am in close contact with the Met as they investigate this terrible incident. The investigation is in its early stages and it’s right the police are investigating every possible element.’
