Two London police officers were hospitalised after being stabbed in the city’s busy West End area on Friday, the Metropolitan Police force said. The attack is not being treated as terrorism.
The officers in question were patrolling near Leicester Square when they encountered a man with a knife early Friday morning and were stabbed while trying to detain him.
The officers — a man and a woman — were taken to hospital with injuries that were not life-threatening.
Police chief Mark Rowley said the female officer suffered a serious stab wound to her arm, while her colleague was stabbed in the neck and chest but should make a full recovery.
A man in his 20s was arrested on suspicion of grievous bodily harm and assaulting an emergency worker. Police said a taser was used during the arrest, and the suspect was briefly taken to a hospital as a precaution.
The incident comes as London is flooded with mourners for Queen Elizabeth II’s lying-in-state.
The Met Office stressed that the incident did not occur near any commemorative sites. The injured police pair were also not part of the royal operation.
London Mayor Sadiq Khan called the attack “utterly appalling”.
“These brave officers were doing their duty and assisting the public at this momentous time for our country,” he said. “My thoughts and prayers are with them, their loved ones and police colleagues following this disgraceful attack,” he said.
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