Three people stabbed at Manchester station
January 1, 2019
Police in Manchester, UK, on Tuesday said a stabbing incident at the city's Victoria station on New Year's Eve was being treated as terror-related.
Three people suffered knife injuries when a man lunged at them as they were waiting for a train on one of the platforms.
Officers were called to the scene after receiving reports of the stabbing shortly before 9 p.m. local time (2100 UTC).
A man and woman, both in their 50s, were still being treated in hospital on Tuesday. Both had sustained wounds to the abdomen, with the woman suffering a severe injury to the forehead. The other victim, a police officer who was stabbed in the shoulder, was released from hospital on Tuesday morning.
Suspect detained
Two knives were recovered from the scene and a 25-year-old man was later arrested. The suspect was evaluated by specialist medical staff and detained under the Mental Health Act.
Though this would imply that the suspect may have mental issues, authorities were not ready to rule anything out.
"The counter-terrorism investigation remains ongoing. There is nothing to suggest the involvement of other people in this
attack, but confirming this remains a main priority for the investigation," the police said in a statement.
Authorities have carried out a raid of the man's home in the city's Cheetham Hill area.
Multiple witnesses
Shortly after Monday evening's stabbing, witnesses shared accounts of the incident on social media.
Another witness — Sam Clack, 38, a BBC producer — quoted the suspect as saying: "As long as you keep bombing other countries this sort of s*** is going to keep happening."
"He came towards me. I looked down and saw he had a kitchen knife with a black handle with a good 12-inch (30-centimeter) blade."
Police officers tasered the man and used pepper spray on him before several officers jumped on him, Clack added.
A witness who gave her name as Rebekka told the Daily Mirror newspaper: "I heard the most blood-curdling scream I've ever heard and turned to see everyone running towards me."
"I was just really scared, I didn't know if I was going to die."
UK Prime Minister Theresa May thanked the emergency services for their "courageous response."
In 2017, Manchester was the site of a major terrorist attack when a young Islamist blew himself up at an Ariana Grande concert, killing 22 other people and injuring 139 others.
Read more: Manchester bomb attack: UK remembers victims one year on
mm,aw,rc/ng (Reuters, dpa)