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You can find the current article at its original source at https://www.theguardian.com/uk-news/live/2016/aug/04/london-stabbing-russell-square-knife-attack-live
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| London stabbing: Suspect is Norwegian Somali with 'no evidence' of terror – live | London stabbing: Suspect is Norwegian Somali with 'no evidence' of terror – live |
| (35 minutes later) | |
| 12.27pm BST | |
| 12:27 | |
| Alice Ross | |
| The suspect emigrated from Norway to the UK in 2002, the Norwegian ministry of foreign affairs has said (so he would have been around five-years-old). | |
| It has appointed a liaison officer to assist in the case. A spokesman said: | |
| We will assist the British police in the normal manner, with information and any requests they might have in their investigation. | |
| Updated | |
| at 12.33pm BST | |
| 12.22pm BST | |
| 12:22 | |
| Assistant Commissioner Mark Rowley said the police have focused on five strands of work: | |
| - Interviewing the suspect- Speaking with the suspect’s family- Witness accounts- Searches- Full intelligence review of the suspect by police and the security service | |
| He said that they searched a property in north London this morning and are planning to search another in south London. | |
| 12.09pm BST | |
| 12:09 | |
| Jamie Grierson | |
| A Norwegian national of Somali origin has been arrested on suspicion of murdering an American woman and injuring five others, including Britons, in what was described by police as a “spontaneous attack”. | |
| Speaking outside Scotland Yard headquarters, Metropolitan police assistant commissioner, Mark Rowley, said there was no evidence that the 19-year-old suspect had been radicalised. | |
| While the investigation is not yet complete all of the work we have done so far, increasingly points to this tragic incident as having been triggered by mental health issues. | |
| Indeed at this time we believe it was a spontaneous attack and the victims were selected at random. | |
| Rowley said officers had interviewed the suspect and his family, and had searched addresses. | |
| The woman murdered was an American national, Rowley said, those injured were Australian, American, Israeli and British. | |
| This morning we’ve searched addresses in North London and we will search another in south London. I emphasise that so far we’ve found no evidence of radicalisation that would suggest the man in our custody is in anyway motivated by terrorism. | |
| 11.54am BST | 11.54am BST |
| 11:54 | 11:54 |
| Rowley said none of the people in hospital have life-threatening injuries. | Rowley said none of the people in hospital have life-threatening injuries. |
| 11.52am BST | 11.52am BST |
| 11:52 | 11:52 |
| Suspect was Norwegian national | Suspect was Norwegian national |
| Rowley says the suspect was a Norwegian national of Somali origin. There is no evidence he was radicalised. | Rowley says the suspect was a Norwegian national of Somali origin. There is no evidence he was radicalised. |
| At this point we believe this is a spontaneous attack and the victims were selected at random. | At this point we believe this is a spontaneous attack and the victims were selected at random. |
| Police believe it was as a result of mental health problems, based on interviews with the suspect and his family. | Police believe it was as a result of mental health problems, based on interviews with the suspect and his family. |
| 11.50am BST | 11.50am BST |
| 11:50 | 11:50 |
| Murdered woman was US citizen | Murdered woman was US citizen |
| The Metropolitan police assistant commissioner, Mark Rowley, is speaking outside Scotland Yard. | The Metropolitan police assistant commissioner, Mark Rowley, is speaking outside Scotland Yard. |
| He says the murdered woman was from the US and the injured are British, American, Australian and Israeli. | He says the murdered woman was from the US and the injured are British, American, Australian and Israeli. |
| Updated | Updated |
| at 11.55am BST | at 11.55am BST |
| 11.30am BST | 11.30am BST |
| 11:30 | 11:30 |
| A woman who witnessed the aftermath of the Russell Square stabbings has told the BBC how she saw a man running away from police, carrying a knife with blood on his hands. Jodie Parry was in her hotel room when she heard a commotion. | A woman who witnessed the aftermath of the Russell Square stabbings has told the BBC how she saw a man running away from police, carrying a knife with blood on his hands. Jodie Parry was in her hotel room when she heard a commotion. |
| As he was running down the street he was turning to see if the police were coming close. I could hear the policeman screaming ‘stop, don’t move, don’t go any further, just stay where you are’ and he turned around and continued running. He just wasn’t prepared to stop ...He was actually carrying a knife in his hand and he had blood on his hands. | As he was running down the street he was turning to see if the police were coming close. I could hear the policeman screaming ‘stop, don’t move, don’t go any further, just stay where you are’ and he turned around and continued running. He just wasn’t prepared to stop ...He was actually carrying a knife in his hand and he had blood on his hands. |
| Parry said the attacker was out of her sight when he was restrained by police. | Parry said the attacker was out of her sight when he was restrained by police. |
| They had actually gone out of my vision at that point, but I did hear the Taser, and at that point I just heard a little scream and then it kind of went silent. | They had actually gone out of my vision at that point, but I did hear the Taser, and at that point I just heard a little scream and then it kind of went silent. |
| 11.21am BST | 11.21am BST |
| 11:21 | 11:21 |
| The BBC has brief footage of the suspect in the Russell Square attacks being arrested: | The BBC has brief footage of the suspect in the Russell Square attacks being arrested: |
| BBC EXCLUSIVE: Eyewitness footage of Russell Square incident: pic.twitter.com/ii1muJUUh6 | BBC EXCLUSIVE: Eyewitness footage of Russell Square incident: pic.twitter.com/ii1muJUUh6 |
| 11.18am BST | 11.18am BST |
| 11:18 | 11:18 |
| The Labour leader, Jeremy Corbyn, making a scheduled speech in Dagenham, east London, has begun by expressing sympathy to the woman who was killed and thanking the police for their response. | The Labour leader, Jeremy Corbyn, making a scheduled speech in Dagenham, east London, has begun by expressing sympathy to the woman who was killed and thanking the police for their response. |
| Jeremy Corbyn offers his condolences for the victim of the Russell Square attack pic.twitter.com/CKONmwM8MD | Jeremy Corbyn offers his condolences for the victim of the Russell Square attack pic.twitter.com/CKONmwM8MD |
| 11.13am BST | 11.13am BST |
| 11:13 | 11:13 |
| The forensics tent at the spot where the woman was killed in Russell Square has been taken down. | The forensics tent at the spot where the woman was killed in Russell Square has been taken down. |
| Taking down the forensics tent. Police say they want to get things back to normal as quickly as poss #Russellsquare pic.twitter.com/ixPSA15Bga | Taking down the forensics tent. Police say they want to get things back to normal as quickly as poss #Russellsquare pic.twitter.com/ixPSA15Bga |
| 11.04am BST | 11.04am BST |
| 11:04 | 11:04 |
| The Met Police commissioner, Bernard Hogan-Howe, has confirmed that mental health remains a “substantial focus for our investigation”. He has said his thoughts are with those affected and praised the police response as “professional and proportionate”. | The Met Police commissioner, Bernard Hogan-Howe, has confirmed that mental health remains a “substantial focus for our investigation”. He has said his thoughts are with those affected and praised the police response as “professional and proportionate”. |
| My thoughts are with the family of the woman who was murdered and those who were injured. A normal night out in our busy capital has ended in horrific circumstances. | My thoughts are with the family of the woman who was murdered and those who were injured. A normal night out in our busy capital has ended in horrific circumstances. |
| Our investigation is moving very quickly and our detectives have been working hard throughout the night. As we have already made clear, mental health remains a substantial focus for our investigation. | Our investigation is moving very quickly and our detectives have been working hard throughout the night. As we have already made clear, mental health remains a substantial focus for our investigation. |
| Every day in London, my officers patrol and carry out operations to catch criminals in the knowledge that they face risk and danger. I am proud that last night our specialist firearms officers were on the scene in six minutes and, using only a Taser, detained the subject. That demonstrates our commitment to use force in a professional and proportionate way. | Every day in London, my officers patrol and carry out operations to catch criminals in the knowledge that they face risk and danger. I am proud that last night our specialist firearms officers were on the scene in six minutes and, using only a Taser, detained the subject. That demonstrates our commitment to use force in a professional and proportionate way. |
| Their swift response undoubtedly helped to prevent more people from getting injured. | Their swift response undoubtedly helped to prevent more people from getting injured. |
| Across our capital today you will see more police officers, armed and unarmed, to reassure the public after recent events overseas. We will protect our capital and those who live, work and visit our city. | Across our capital today you will see more police officers, armed and unarmed, to reassure the public after recent events overseas. We will protect our capital and those who live, work and visit our city. |
| Updated | Updated |
| at 11.06am BST | at 11.06am BST |
| 10.58am BST | 10.58am BST |
| 10:58 | 10:58 |
| Denis Campbell | Denis Campbell |
| Mental illness is a significant part of what Metropolitan Police officers deal with every day and they get 600,000 calls about it a year. They are called to far more incidents involving mental health problems than robbery or sexual offences, a report by the mental health charity Turning Point found in 2013. | Mental illness is a significant part of what Metropolitan Police officers deal with every day and they get 600,000 calls about it a year. They are called to far more incidents involving mental health problems than robbery or sexual offences, a report by the mental health charity Turning Point found in 2013. |
| On pages 11/12 the report states that: | On pages 11/12 the report states that: |
| In 2012 there were 61,258 mental health related calls; this is 21,741 more than robbery and 47,203 more than for sexual offences. The Metropolitan Police Service review also stated that it has been estimated that 15% to 25% of incidents are linked to mental health. Using this estimate the daily contact rises to a minimum of 1,626 calls per day -- the equivalent of around 600,000 calls per year. | In 2012 there were 61,258 mental health related calls; this is 21,741 more than robbery and 47,203 more than for sexual offences. The Metropolitan Police Service review also stated that it has been estimated that 15% to 25% of incidents are linked to mental health. Using this estimate the daily contact rises to a minimum of 1,626 calls per day -- the equivalent of around 600,000 calls per year. |
| 10.53am BST | 10.53am BST |
| 10:53 | 10:53 |
| Ellie Cattle, 21, who is staying in a hotel on Bedford Place, off Russell Square, told the Press Association she heard police shouting: “Put it down, put it down.” | Ellie Cattle, 21, who is staying in a hotel on Bedford Place, off Russell Square, told the Press Association she heard police shouting: “Put it down, put it down.” |
| I looked out of my window because I heard sirens. I could see police - three police vans - coming down the road, and all I heard was them shouting ‘Put it down, put it down’. | I looked out of my window because I heard sirens. I could see police - three police vans - coming down the road, and all I heard was them shouting ‘Put it down, put it down’. |
| They sounded urgent for him to put it down. Then I heard what sounded like a gunshot, but it must have been the Taser. After that they just stopped shouting. I didn’t hear any screams from anyone. | They sounded urgent for him to put it down. Then I heard what sounded like a gunshot, but it must have been the Taser. After that they just stopped shouting. I didn’t hear any screams from anyone. |
| 10.47am BST | 10.47am BST |
| 10:47 | 10:47 |
| Lisa O'Carroll | Lisa O'Carroll |
| Alex Hall, 18, (on the right in video) said he and his friends came out of a restaurant in Russell Square and saw police trying to resuscitate a woman. | Alex Hall, 18, (on the right in video) said he and his friends came out of a restaurant in Russell Square and saw police trying to resuscitate a woman. |
| We were walking along and we saw three police cars and an ambulance. They were doing CPR on a woman lying on the ground. We thought it must have been someone having a heart attack. The police were shouting at people to get back. | We were walking along and we saw three police cars and an ambulance. They were doing CPR on a woman lying on the ground. We thought it must have been someone having a heart attack. The police were shouting at people to get back. |
| The others in the video are Reuben St Ledger, 18, (middle) and George Baker, 18. All are from Sheffield. | The others in the video are Reuben St Ledger, 18, (middle) and George Baker, 18. All are from Sheffield. |
| St Ledger said they had seen the Metropolitan Police announcement that there would be an increased armed police presence in London before they visited and were not deterred. | St Ledger said they had seen the Metropolitan Police announcement that there would be an increased armed police presence in London before they visited and were not deterred. |