The Reading stabings by a suspected Libyan asylum seeker in the UK is the fourth suspected terrorist knife attack in six months, following the stabbings at Fishmongers’ Hall in November, HMP Whitemoor prison in January and Streatham in February, The Independent reports.
Assistant Commissioner Neil Basu, the head of UK counterterror policing, said inquiries conducted so far did not suggest anyone else was involved and that no other suspects were being sought.
“However, detectives working closely with the security services, continue to make enquiries to ensure that there were no others involved and our investigative priority remains to ensure that there is no related outstanding threat to the public,” he added.
“Although the motivation for this heinous act is far from certain, Counter Terrorism Policing South East has taken on responsibility for leading this investigation.
"We are clear that it was not associated at all with the Black Lives Matter protest, which was taking place peacefully earlier in the day, and which had concluded some hours before this attack took place."
Prime Minister Boris Johnson said he was “appalled and sickened that people should lose their lives in this way and our thoughts are very much with the family and the friends of the victims today”.
He added: “The police must get on with their job, get to the bottom of exactly what happened, and so it would be difficult really to comment in detail.
"Except to say this - if there are lessons we need to learn about how we handle such cases, how we handle the events leading up to such cases, then we will learn those lessons and we will not hesitate to take action where necessary."
