Police: American woman killed in London knife attack

A woman in her 60s who was killed in a knife attack in central London on Wednesday night was American, Metropolitan Police Assistant Commissioner Mark Rowley said Thursday. The suspect in the attack is Norwegian national of Somali origin, Rowley said.

[Previous story]

London police are looking at mental health issues as the main line of inquiry in a knife attack on Wednesday night that left an American woman dead.

Metropolitan Police Assistant Commissioner Mark Rowley essentially ruled out terrorism as the likely motive in the attack, in which citizens from Britain, Australia and Israel were also injured.

The suspect is a Norwegian national of Somali origin, Rowley said.

Rowley described the attack as “spontaneous,” with victims selected at random.

[Previous story, posted at 7:00 a.m.]

Londoners woke up Thursday to a heavier police presence on their streets after a woman was stabbed to death and five others injured in the heart of the city late Wednesday night.

The London Metropolitan Police said it had arrested a 19-year-old man on suspicion of murder and was focusing its lines of inquiry “on mental health while retaining an open mind regarding the motive.”

A police statement rolls back earlier comments by officials briefed on the investigation, who had told CNN they believed the stabbing was a terror attack based on initial evidence.

Counterterrorism police are supporting but not leading the investigation, authorities said later.

Attack hours after security boosted

The attack happened in Russell Square, an area popular with tourists near museums and upscale hotels and homes.

The stabbing came hours after authorities announced London would increase its presence of armed police by 600 officers following recent terror attacks across Europe — part of what it called Operation Hercules.

“As a precautionary measure (Thursday), Londoners will wake up and in the morning they will notice increased police presence on the streets, including armed officers,” Mark Rowley, the Scotland Yard assistant commissioner, told reporters. “This is there to provide reassurance and safety. We ask the public to remain calm, vigilant and alert.”

Dying in their arms

The woman killed was in her 60s, police said, while two other women and three men were injured. Two of the victims remain in the hospital. Officials said one of the injured appears to be American.

Police were called after 10:30 p.m. Wednesday following reports of a man “seen in possession of a knife injuring people,” authorities said in a statement.

Officers used a stun gun on the suspect, and he was arrested less than 10 minutes later, authorities said.

He was treated in the hospital and is in police custody at a south London station, police said.

Little more is known about the suspect.

A 40-year-old Brazilian man living in London told CNN a Spanish family stopped and asked him to call an ambulance.

“I thought someone had collapsed or passed out, that was my first impression,” said Fernando, who did not want to give his last name.

He said one of those family members was holding the dying woman and helping and reassuring her. She had been stabbed in the back, Fernando said, adding that he was in shock.