4 hours ago
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A 13-year-old suspected of stabbing two boys at a secondary school is a former pupil who was arrested after being seen at a mosque after the attack, which has not been declared a terrorist incident, police said.
Two pupils at Kingsbury high school in Brent, north-west London, were seriously injured at lunchtime on Tuesday. Both remain in a “stable” condition in hospital with injuries now thought not to be life-threatening.
Det Ch Supt Helen Flanagan, from Counter-Terrorism Policing London, said the suspect, who is a British national and was born in the UK, arrived at the school at about 12.30pm on Tuesday.
He went to a first-floor classroom and, after the door was opened, sprayed a substance towards a pupil, who was not injured. The liquid is not thought to have been noxious.
The suspect then stabbed a 13-year-old boy in the classroom before running along a hallway and down a flight of stairs. He stabbed a 12-year-old boy on the ground floor before fleeing the school.
“Police attended the school, and a manhunt was immediately stood up to try and locate and detain the suspect as quickly as possible,” Flanagan said.
“Police were called by a member of the public at approximately 4.15pm over concerns of a child that had been seen at a mosque in north-west London.
“Officers attended shortly after and arrested a 13-year-old boy on suspicion of attempted murder, and he remains in custody.
“At this point we do not believe the suspect to have any particular connection to that mosque and, at this stage, we think that it may have been coincidental that he ended up in that area, and all of those at the mosque have been incredibly supportive of this investigation.
“The incident has not been declared a terrorist incident.”
Officers are understood to be leaning towards the motivation for the attack being related to a personal grievance rather than terrorist ideology.
Some pupils have suggested the suspect had shouted “Allahu Akbar”, a Muslim phrase, during the attack, while another said he had been in a dispute with one of the victims.
Police are exploring different potential motivations for the attack. The investigation is being led by counter-terrorism police because of a concern at the outset there might have been a terrorism motivation, but officers say they are keeping an open mind.
They are not looking for anyone else in connection with the incident, adding that it appears the suspect was acting alone.
About 30 to 40 witnesses are being interviewed, which was said to be “an extremely delicate process given the young ages of many of the witnesses from the school”.
Police searched three premises – two addresses connected to the suspect and the mosque near where the suspect was arrested.
The lower school remained closed on Wednesday. Conservative councillor Kanta Mistry, who lives not far from the school, described it as “a very secure school”, producing “high-class students” and set in a “leafy London area”.
Having spoken to community members, she said: “Shock is an understatement. We are all very shocked about it, quite saddened, but also quite surprised that it happened here.”
The school’s headteacher, Alex Thomas, said the incident was “a deeply traumatic event for the whole school community”, in a letter to parents and carers.
Prime minister Keir Starmer described the stabbings as an “appalling attack”.
Speaking at prime minister’s questions, he said: “My thoughts, and I’m sure the thoughts of the whole House, are with the two children stabbed at Kingsbury high school in Brent and my heart goes out to everyone affected by this appalling attack.
“We thank the police for their rapid response. It’s important now that we give them the space to pursue their investigation.”
Police are maintaining a visible presence at the school, especially at the start and end of the day and around transport hubs, to reassure the community, and not because of an ongoing threat.
Det Ch Supt Luke Williams said he understood the incident had been “hugely distressing” for the community. He said it was a “truly shocking” incident, adding: “I hope the knowledge this was an extraordinary one-off event which led to the swift arrest of the suspect provides some reassurance.”
