London stabbings: Two teenagers fighting for life after linked attacks

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A pair of teenagers have been stabbed in north London in attacks which detectives believe to be linked.

Officers found a 17-year-old boy injured in Islington on Monday evening. Within 10 minutes an 18-year-old man was found wounded less than half-a-mile away.

Both are in a life-threatening condition in hospital, a spokesperson for London's Metropolitan Police said.

No arrests have yet been made but there is an increased police presence in the north of the capital, the force added.

A Section 60 order – which allows officers to stop and search anyone – has been authorised for the borough of Islington until Tuesday morning.

Figures published last month showed that knife crime across England and Wales had surged to the highest levels since records began.

Police recorded almost 44,500 offences involving knives or sharp weapons – a rise of 6 per cent – including 252 homicides and 368 attempted murders.

Murder and manslaughter figures also reached a 10-year high in 2018.

Police said the government must “take responsibility” for the bloodshed after years of funding cuts, which are starting to be reversed.

But London has recently bucked the trend, with plummeting numbers of murders, stabbings and shootings recorded.

Additional reporting by agencies