Edmonton stabbings: Manhunt after four people injured in string of attacks in north London
Three men and a woman selected at random and stabbed from behind without warning, say police
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Detectives are hunting for a man suspected of stabbing four people in a series of random knife attacks in the Edmonton area of north London.
Two of the victims, a 45-year-old woman and a 23-year-old man, are in a critical condition in hospital while two other men suffered serious injuries.
The Metropolitan Police is linking all four attacks, and investigators believe each victim was selected at random and stabbed from behind without warning between 7pm on Saturday and 10am on Sunday.
The suspect is described as a black man, approximately 6ft 3ins tall, of skinny build and wearing dark clothing, possibly a hooded top.
Scotland Yard said there was nothing to suggest this incident is “terror related” but urged the public to “stay vigilant”. Investigators believe mental health issues are a possible factor behind the attacks.
Police said they had made two arrests at Edmonton addresses on Sunday in connection with the investigation. A man in his 40s was arrested on suspicion of GBH, following the earlier arrest of another man on suspicion of GBH.
Both remain in custody. Following the first arrest around 11am, police said detectives were still trying to establish if the man in custody was the individual behind the attacks.
Acting detective chief inspector Stuart Smillie from North Area Command said: “Police are treating the four stabbing-related incidents as potentially linked.
“The four victims are all from different backgrounds and appear to have been selected at random due to them being alone and vulnerable.
“We are working on the hypothesis that the single male suspect is acting alone and mental health issues may be a factor. All of the people he has targeted have been walking alone and he has approached from behind without warning.”
Police urged the public not to approach the suspect and to call 999 immediately if they see someone acting suspiciously who matches the description.
“His description has been circulated to all officers in North Area who are carrying out patrols, CCTV footage enquiries and policing busy areas around where the incidents took place, particularly where he was last seen where police arrived four minutes after the call to police was made.
“A picture of this suspect will be circulated as soon as one is retrieved. My advice to the public in the area where these incidents took place stay vigilant, beware of your surroundings and call 999 if you see anyone matching the suspects description behaving suspiciously.”
In the first attack a 45-year-old woman was stabbed in the back in Aberdeen Road, Edmonton, at around 7pm on Saturday. She remains in hospital in a critical condition.
Witness Dervish Husseyin, 60, said he saw the woman lying face down in the street. She had “blood on her back” but did not seem to realise she had been stabbed.
“She said they had beaten her up,” Mr Husseyin added. “She said she only went out for a walk on her own.”
Natasha Cameron, 45, lives on Aberdeen Road and was walking home from work at a nearby casino after 10pm. She said she saw officers on her road who told her there had been a stabbing but she was unaware of the later attacks.
“I was, “Oh my God this is the road I live on”,” the woman said.
Ms Cameron added: “I’m scared now because I always walk here from work home. Now I’m definitely taking the bus.”
The second stabbing took place in Park Avenue four hours later at around 12.15am on Sunday. He was taken to hospital but his condition is not life-threatening.
It is believed the third victim, a 23-year-old man, was stabbed in Silver Street, Edmonton. He was taken to hospital after emergency services were called to Seven Sisters tube station shortly before 4am. Police said his condition is critical but stable.
In the fourth attack a man was stabbed in the back in Brettenham Road, Edmonton, at 9.43am. His injuries are described as not life threatening but potentially life-changing.
Additional reporting by Press Association