Leytonstone Tube: suspect shouted “this is for Syria!”

On Saturday evening, a man rushed into Leytonstone Tube Station and began attacking a passenger. He later produced a knife and used it to continue the attack. He succeeded in attacking three passengers, one of whom was left in a pool of blood having suffered serious injuries, and two of whom suffered more minor injuries.

Because some onlookers reported to the police that the attacker shouted “this is for Syria”, the incident is being treated by police as a terrorist attack. The background to the attacker is not yet known, but this one incident is unlikely to prove that terrorism is rife on the streets of London. At the moment, it looks more likely that this is a one-off incident, committed by one vulnerable individual who has been pushed over the edge by the recent decision to bomb Syria.

The passengers at Leytonstone reacted to the attacker, with one of them shouting out “You ain’t no Muslim, bruv.” This phrase went on to trend on Twitter: a welcome sign that not only are Muslims prepared to point out that they/we are not all terrorists, but also that this is beginning to be understood in the non-Muslim population.

The police attended very quickly and succeeded in subduing the attacker using a Taser. Alarmingly, they had to use their taser more than once. Although it is welcome that the police can use tasers which are less lethal than guns, there has been a great deal of debate about the use of tasers, and if used incorrectly they can kill.

The incident and the police response were caught on CCTV. Part of the recording shows the attacker lying face down on the floor, his arms behind his back. A police officer seems to be holding or handcuffing his wrists. At the same time, another officer appears to be kneeling on the attacker’s upper back.

The police will need to review the video of this incident and establish whether the taser was operated correctly and whether the kneeling was a correct restraint technique.

At least the incident was contained quickly. In the recent attack on a school in the USA, the two attackers were easily able to obtain guns and the police are armed – and there was a high death toll. The attacker is now in custody and has not yet been charged.

Speaking on the evening of the incident, Commander Richard Walton, who leads the Met’s Counter Terrorism Command, said:

“We are treating this as a terrorist incident. I would urge the public to remain calm, but alert and vigilant. The threat from terrorism remains at severe, which means that a terrorist attack is highly likely. I would appeal to anyone who was in the vicinity of Leytonstone underground station earlier this evening at around 7pm who saw anything suspicious to call the Anti-Terrorist Hotline on 0800 789 321. Anyone who may have captured video or photographic footage of the incident is also urged to make contact with the Counter Terrorism Command via the Anti-Terrorist Hotline.”

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