LONDON: UK police said Tuesday they were questioning a teenager suspected of stabbing two boys at a London school, as counter-terrorism officers took over the investigation.
The suspect, believed to be 13, was arrested several hours after allegedly fleeing the site of the attack on the boys aged 12 and 13, and police had recovered the suspected weapon used, according to London’s Metropolitan Police.
“We await an update on how they are, though we understand their conditions to be serious,” Detective chief superintendent Luke Williams told reporters at Kingsbury High School in northwest London.
“The suspect was arrested on suspicion of attempted murder and remains in custody for questioning by our officers,” he said.
“At this very early stage, we are keeping an open mind as to any motivation behind this attack.
“However, due to the surrounding circumstances, the investigation is now being led by officers from counter-terrorism policing London who are working closely with our local officers in response to this incident.”
Williams added that the stabbing had not yet been declared “a terrorist incident” and noted that police were not looking for anyone else over the incident.
Education secretary Bridget Phillipson said she was “heartbroken to hear about the stabbings”, noting her ministry was “in contact with the school and council to offer support”.
Students were still being interviewed by police in one of the school’s halls, more than three hours after the usual school day finished, media reported.
The UK, and London in particular, has long grappled with teenage violence and the use of knives, while violence within schools has been growing nationwide, according to unions representing teachers.
A 15-year-old boy was remanded in custody in Wales last week after being charged with the attempted murder of a female teacher after allegedly attacking her with a kitchen knife.
Both teenage victims in the London stabbings, which occurred just after midday, were taken to hospital.
“We treated two patients in total. We took one patient to hospital and the other as a priority to a major trauma centre,” the London Ambulance Service said.
In a letter to parents, Kingsbury High School headteacher Alex Thomas said it had been “a deeply traumatic event for the whole school community”.
“The situation is under control,” he added, noting some parts of the school – which serves nearly 2,000 pupils aged 11 to 18 – will be closed Wednesday.
