London police say knife attack leaves 1 dead, 5 hurt

Rowley said police had “searched addresses in north London” and would search another in south London.

A London stabbing attack on Wednesday left one American dead and five other people injured in Russell Square, where a Norwegian national of Somali origin was subsequently arrested. Based on interviews with him and his family they said they believed mental health was the main factor in the attack in central London’sRussell Square late Wednesday.

“So far we have found no evidence of radicalization that would suggest that the man in our custody is in any way motivated by terrorism”, Rowley said.

People near Russell Square posted images of the police barricade to social media.

Residents of Britain’s capital woke Thursday to find increased numbers of armed police patrolling the streets after a teenager allegedly stabbed a American woman to death and injured five others overnight.

We await an update on the condition of the other persons injured and details of any other injuries.

A forensic tent had been erected on the pavement, the scene of the attack, the Reuters reporter said.

The name of the dead woman, thought to be in her 60s, has not been released.

Mr Rowley described it as a “spontaneous attack and the victims were selected at random”.

Since August 2014, the terror threat level in Britain has been “severe”? the second highest level, meaning an attack is “highly likely”. The police say that they’re exploring terrorism as one possible motive, though mental health issues have also been cited.

London Mayor Sadiq Khan urged Londoners to “remain calm and vigilant”.

The woman, who also was not identified, was repeatedly stabbed in the back during the assault Wednesday night before she was helped by a family of Spanish tourists, the Telegraph of the United Kingdom reported.

Mr Rowley had earlier said the force was considering terrorism as “one line of inquiry for us to explore”.

“We all have a vital role to play as eyes and ears for our police and security services and in helping to ensure London is protected”, he said.

Back in 2005, Russell Square also became the site of a bus bombing, as part of a coordinated terror attack that took 52 lives and shook London to its core.

The man was stunned by police Taser weapons, tackled to the ground and arrested on suspicion of murder.