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Police at the scene in Reading this evening
Reading
A 'number of people' injured in terror-related stabbing in English park
The incident is believed to be terror-related.
A NUMBER OF people have been injured in a stabbing at a park in Reading, England.
The incident is suspected to be terror-related.
Emergency services, including two air ambulances, were called to the scene of the incident in Forbury Gardens, a park in Reading town centre, at around 7pm this evening.
Thames Valley Police said that a man was arrested at the scene who is now in police custody.
“A number of people sustained injuries and were taken to hospital,” the police said on Twitter. Reports suggest that some of the injured are in serious condition.
Lawrence Wort, 20, was around 10 metres from where the attack took place. He said: “The park was pretty full, a lot of people sat around drinking with friends, when one lone person walked through, suddenly shouted some unintelligible words and went around a large group of around 10, trying to stab them.
“He stabbed three of them, severely in the neck, and under the arms, and then turned and started running towards me, and we turned and started running.
“When he realised that he couldn’t catch us, he tried to stab another group sat down, he got one person in the back of the neck and then when he realised everyone was starting to run, he ran out of the park.”
A police cordon remains in place as an investigation is carried out.
The British Home Secretary Priti Patel tweeted that she was “deeply concerned” by the incident.
“My thoughts are with everyone involved, including police and emergency responders at the scene,” she added.
Images on social media showed emergency services and a police presence with roads cordoned off.
The leader of Reading Council Jason Brock tweeted: “Concerning reports from Reading town centre – please stay clear of the area as police are dealing with a serious incident.”
Freelance journalist Claire Gould, 33, who lives near the scene, said she saw the emergency air ambulance vehicles land on the nearby Kings Meadow as a police helicopter circled overhead.
She described hearing lots of sirens and said surrounding roads and a retail park had been cordoned off by officers.
Thames Valley Police said on Twitter that officers are at the scene and investigating the incident.
“Police attended at around 7pm along with other emergency services,” the police said on Twitter. “Officers arrested a man at the scene who is now in police custody.”
A Black Lives Matter protest had taken place at the park earlier in the day.
“There is no indication that this incident is linked to the Black Lives Matter protest that took place in Reading today,” Thames Valley Police tweeted.
With reporting from PA Media
