LAGOS, NIGERIA (VOICE OF NAIJA) – A 14-year-old British-Nigerian boy, Daniel Anjorin has died from injuries sustained during a sword attack in London.
Anjorin died on Tuesday morning as he walked to school in Hainault, in the east of Britain’s capital, when he was attacked by a man wielding what appeared to be a Samurai-type sword.
Police tasered and arrested the suspect, a 36-year-old man who was not previously known to police.
Police named the suspect as a Spanish-Brazilian national, Marcus Aurelio Arduini Monzo, and said he would appear at Barkingside Magistrates Court on May 2.
He has also been charged with “two counts of attempted murder, two counts of grievous bodily harm, aggravated burglary, and possession of a bladed article”, police said in a statement.
London’s Metropolitan Police Force said Tuesday’s horror unfolded just before 7:00 am (0600 GMT) when the accused is alleged to have crashed a van into a house fence, hitting a 33-year-old man before allegedly stabbing him in the neck.
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He is then alleged to have attacked a 35-year-old man inside a nearby property, causing lacerations to his arm, before Anjorin was killed.
Police arrived on the scene 12 minutes after the first emergency call and attempted to neutralise the suspect with incapacitant spray and a Taser gun but these had little effect.
The suspect is alleged to have seriously injured two police officers, both of whom required surgery on Tuesday and remain in hospital.
One, a woman, suffered severe injuries to her arm and nearly lost a hand, the Met said.
The man fled again as terrified witnesses took cover in houses before police used a taser to overpower him, detaining him 22 minutes after the initial call.
“This is a complex investigation due to the number of crime scenes, forensic evidence, hours of CCTV footage and witnesses we need to speak to,” Larry Smith, the detective leading the investigation, said in a statement.
“I know that many people will want answers and we are working to provide them as soon as we can”, he said. “I would also echo previous calls for patience as my officers carry out a painstaking investigation to deliver justice for Daniel, his family, those injured and the wider community.”
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Bancroft’s school attended by Anjorin said in a statement on Wednesday that they had been left in “profound shock and sorrow” at the pupil’s death.
“He was a true scholar, demonstrating commendable dedication to his academic pursuits. His positive nature and gentle character will leave a lasting impact on us,” Bancroft’s in Woodford Green, near Hainault, said.
Police have said the attack was not terror-related.
It came amid a rise in stabbings in the United Kingdom and shortly before voters decide in local elections on Thursday whether to re-elect London mayor Sadiq Khan for a record third term.
