Stabbing In The UK City Of Reading Linked To Terrorism, 3 Killed And 3 Others Treated

JAKARTA - As many as 3 people were killed and 3 others were taken to hospital as a result of the stabbing of the 25-year-old perpetrator, in the city of Reading, South England, Sunday, June 22.

The police said that this action was a terrorist attack.

Detectives said a man ran into a park in Reading, about 65 km west of London, as locals were enjoying the Saturday afternoon sun, and attacked people with knives. After that, officers came and incapacitated the perpetrator.

Police said an unnamed 25-year-old man, initially detained on suspicion of murder, is now being charged under the Terrorism Law.

"The investigation continues to move at a fast pace," said Chief Detective Inspector Kath Barnes, head of the regional counter-terrorism unit.

A Western security source, who asked not to be named, told Reuters the man arrested was a Libyan national named Khairi Saadallah.

The source said Saadallah had been monitored by British domestic security agency MI5 last year because he wanted to travel for extremist purposes, even though his plans were fruitless.

Finally, Saadallah was never investigated further, said the source.

Initially the police and government said the Saadalah attack on Reading park, was not terrorism. But Britain's most senior counter-terrorism police officer, Neil Basu, said after officers worked all night and eventually declared the incident terrorism-related.

"This is cruelty," said Basu. "From our investigations carried out so far, officers have found nothing to suggest that anyone else was involved in the attack, and at this time, we are not looking for anyone else in connection with this incident."

Meanwhile, the motivation for this attack is not yet clear. The victims also have not been officially identified. However, a school in a nearby town said one of its teachers, James Furlong, had been killed for the action.

Prime Minister Boris Johnson said he was "shocked and disgusted" by the attacks. He stressed that Britain would change the law if necessary to prevent similar incidents in the future.

"If there are lessons we need to learn ... we will learn those lessons and we will not hesitate to take action if necessary," he said.

One witness said the attack began in Reading's Forbury Gardens, when a man suddenly shouted and then turned towards a group of people and started stabbing them.

"He darted in a counterclockwise direction, got one, went to the other, stabbed the next, into the other, stabbed the next," Lawrence Wort, 20, told BBC TV. "He stood up and I saw a large knife in his hand, maybe at least 5 inches (13 cm) minimum."

The attack followed a Black Lives Matter demonstration by anti-racism protesters in a park that ended three hours earlier. But Basu said the two incidents were unrelated.

Meanwhile, the effect of coronavirus restrictions in the UK means places like pubs are closed. This leads to many people in England gathering in parks at night to meet friends.