Boy, 13, suspected of school stabbings is former pupil, police say

A 13-year-old suspected of stabbing two boys at a secondary school is a former pupil and the attack has not been declared a terrorist incident, police said.

The suspect was arrested after he was seen at a mosque hours after the stabbings.

Two pupils at Kingsbury High School in Brent, north-west London, were seriously injured at lunchtime on Tuesday.

Detective Chief Superintendent Helen Flanagan, from Counter-Terrorism Policing London, said the suspect, a former pupil and British national, arrived at the school at around 12.30pm on Tuesday.

He went up to a first floor classroom and sprayed a substance towards a pupil, who was not injured and 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 then stabbed a 12-year-old boy on the ground floor before fleeing the school.

Ms Flanagan told reporters: “Police were called by a member of the public at approximately 4.15pm over concerns of a child who 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.”

Although the investigation is being led by counter-terrorism police, officers say they are keeping an open mind about the motivation behind the attack.

Some pupils suggested the suspect had shouted “Allahu Akbhar”, a Muslim phrase, when he struck, while another said he had been in a dispute with one of the victims.

Officers are understood to be leaning towards a motivation related to a personal grievance rather than terrorist ideology.

Ms Flanagan told the press briefing: “We’ve carried out searches across three premises: two addresses connected to the suspect as well as the mosque where the suspect was arrested.

“We have around 30 to 40 witnesses whom we’re interviewing and getting accounts from.

“This is an extremely delicate process given the young ages of many of the witnesses from the school and we are using highly trained and specialist officers to carry out these interviews.”

Detective Chief Superintendent Luke Williams said he understood the incident had been “hugely distressing” for the local community.

He added it was a “truly shocking” incident, adding: “It’s hard to imagine the impact on the loved ones of the victims and the officers are providing them with special support.

“I hope the knowledge this was an extraordinary one-off event which led to the swift arrest of the suspect provides some reassurance.

“There is currently no reason to think anyone else was involved.”

Officers and paramedics were confronted with a “deeply upsetting scene”, he added.