A maniac wielding a “large” knife went on a stabbing spree, injuring five people at a shopping center in northwestern England Friday – and was later busted on terrorism-related charges, police said.
The 40-year-old man walked in to the Arndale shopping center in central Manchester at around 11:15 a.m. local time and “began lunging and attacking people with a knife,” Greater Manchester Police Assistant Chief Constable Russ Jackson told reporters.
“We do not know the motivation for this terrible attack. It appears random. It’s certainly brutal and of course extremely frightening for anyone who witnessed it,” Jackson said.
The suspect, whose identity was not immediately released, also chased two unarmed police community support officers who tried to confront the attacker as the officers called for back-up, police said.
Jackson said that though the injuries to the victims “are nasty,” none are life-threatening. Three of the injured needed hospital treatment.
Within five minutes, the attacker was taken down and detained by armed officers on Market Street outside the shopping mall.
The assailant was initially arrested for serious assaults, but later arrested on a charge of the commission, preparation and instigation of an act of terrorism “because of the nature and circumstances of this attack,” said Jackson.
Jackson added that the knife incident was “bound to bring back memories of the awful events of 2017,” when a suicide bomber targeted an Ariana Grande concert in Manchester, killing 22 people.
Meanwhile, Arndale shop worker told the PA Media news agency: “A man was running around with a knife lunging at multiple people, one of which came into my store shaken with a small graze.
“Soon after, security staff told all retail staff to close their doors and move the public to the back of the stores,” said the 23-year-old man, who gave only his first name, Jordan, the Guardian reported.
Freddie Houlder, 22, said he heard “a load of screams just outside” a store he was in.
He said a woman came into the shop and yelled that “a guy just ran past the shop and tried to stab me.��
Houlder added: “Luckily she had quite a thick jacket. She thought originally it was a fake knife because of how easily it grazed off, but police came in and said it was a real knife and she burst into tears.”
Jackson called the attack “a truly shocking incident, injuring a number of people, deeply frightening hundreds more.”
Prime Minister Boris Johnson said he was “shocked by the incident,” adding: “My thoughts are with the injured and all those affected.”
With Post wires