Three stabbed to death in England ‘terrorist’ attack
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London, June 21
UK counter-terrorism officers on Sunday declared a stabbing rampage by a Libyan-origin man in a park in the English town of Reading that left three people dead as a terrorist attack.
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Appalled and sickened: Johnson
Prime Minister Boris Johnson held a meeting on Sunday with security officials and senior ministers over the stabbing incident. He said he was “appalled and sickened” and Britain would change laws if needed to prevent future incidents. “If there are lessons we need to learn … we will learn those lessons and we will not hesitate to take action if necessary,” he said.
The local Thames Valley Police had initially launched a murder inquiry and said it was keeping an open mind on the motive behind the knife rampage in a busy park in the city centre on Saturday evening.
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“Deputy Assistant Commissioner Dean Haydon, Senior National Coordinator for the Counter Terrorism Policing network, has this morning declared the incident a terrorist incident, and CTPSE (Counter Terrorism Policing South East) will be taking over the investigation,” a Thames Valley Police statement said.
A 25-year-old man who was arrested on suspicion of murder Saturday night, remains in police custody at this time, the statement added.
The knife attack took place in Forbury Gardens in the centre of the city in Berkshire.
The arrested man is believed to be a Libyan-origin resident in Britain.
“We have made one arrest and at this stage we are not looking for any other people in connection with this incident. There is no intelligence to suggest that there is any further danger to the public, however we urge people to remain vigilant and report anything suspicious by calling police,” Detective Chief Superintendent Ian Hunter, Head of Crime at Thames Valley Police had earlier said. — PTI
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