To close out 2018, three people have been stabbed at the Manchester Victoria train station in the UK in an apparent act of terrorism.
The train station where the stabbings occurred is directly beside the Manchester arena where a suicide bomber killed 22 in May 2017.
The attack took place at around 9:00 p.m. local time.
The BBC reports:
Three people – including a police officer – have been stabbed by a man wielding a knife at Manchester Victoria railway station.
A man and woman were taken to hospital with knife injuries after the attack at about 20:50 GMT, British Transport Police (BTP) said. Their conditions are not known.
It said one of its officers suffered a stab wound to the shoulder.
A man has been arrested and the station is shut.
Officers remain at the scene.
The New Year celebrations went ahead in the city centre.
BBC 5 live producer Sam Clack, who had been at the station at the time, tweeted he had been “very close to the most terrifying thing”.
He said he saw a man stabbed on a tram platform at the station, which is next to Manchester Arena, “feet from me”.
He added he was “close to jumping on the tracks” as the attacker had a “long kitchen knife”.
This is a portion of that interview by the BBC producer who witnessed the attack discussing the statements made by the suspect that he heard:
https://twitter.com/MRV2899/status/1079875622929866753
Another video shows the arrested suspect shouting, “Long live the caliphate! Allah akhbar,” as he was being placed into police transport:
Social media footage of the suspect shouting "Allah Akbar" as he was taken into the police van after stabbing three people (Man, woman and a police officer) at #Manchester #Victoria station pic.twitter.com/7m2w0w90su
— News_Executive (@News_Executive) January 1, 2019
The BBC is reporting that the arrested suspect is a Somali man whose family moved to the UK from Holland twelve years ago.
Manchester police are saying that the incident is being treated as a terror attack:
BREAKING: Chief constable Ian Hopkins says the stabbing of three people at Manchester Victoria Station is being treated as a "terrorist investigation"
Follow the latest on this breaking story here: https://t.co/yppRCn1enr pic.twitter.com/7Ejg65oaLa
— Sky News (@SkyNews) January 1, 2019
The Manchester Evening News reports that a critical incident has been declared, and that the still unnamed suspect has been charged with suspicion of attempted murder.
Pro-ISIS jihadist forums were encouraging their supporters to conduct attacks during the New Year’s Eve celebrations:
Hours before Manchester attack @global_awar uncovers material urging stabbings on NYE posted by Islamic State extremists in Telegram apps, in @DailyMailUK pic.twitter.com/hYS0XmyfQ9
— Larisa Brown (@larisamlbrown) January 1, 2019
The English Version Features #UnitedStates & #UnitedKingdom pic.twitter.com/9BqcTKmWqB
— Terrorism Research & Analysis Consortium (@TRACterrorism) December 31, 2018
The cathedral is very close to the Victoria train station where the attack occurred:
Thoughts and prayers are with those injured during the incident at #manchestervictoria.
— Manchester Cathedral (@ManCathedral) December 31, 2018
Manchester was the site of the May 22, 2017, suicide bombing following an Ariana Grande concert in the local arena that killed 22 people.
The suicide bomber, Salman Abedi, was the son of a Libyan refugee. Abedi had previously fought with anti-Gaddafi jihadists in Libya.
Terrorism Apparently a Family Business for Manchester Bomber https://t.co/Df88uMxSAz #trending pic.twitter.com/xm6rDIxqwU
— PJ Media (@PJMedia_com) May 25, 2017
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