Three people were killed while three others were injured in a stabbing incident at a park in Reading, England on Saturday.
The incident occurred at Forbury Gardens, a popular park in the centre of Reading, The Washington Post reported on Sunday.
An eyewitness who was at the park during the incident said that people were enjoying and relaxing when a yelling man approached people and stabbed them in the neck and under the arms.
Authorities arrived at the scene at 7 p.m. on Saturday and urged civilians to refrain from sharing graphic videos of medical personnel attending to the victims on the ground.
Police captured a 25-year-old man identified as Khairi Saadallah in connection with the incident.
CNN, quoting an unidentified source, reported that the suspect may have been mentally ill before police considered the attack as a terrorism move.
Thames Valley Police detective chief superintendent Ian Hunter was quoted as saying that they were keeping an open mind as to the motivation of the stabbing and that the counterterrorism department was supporting the probe.
“[Police] are not looking for any other people in connection with this incident,” he said.
Earlier in the day, a peaceful Black Lives Matter protest took place in the same area but police ruled out any connection with the rally.
“There have been some reports that this incident was linked to the Black Lives Matter protest which took place in Reading earlier this afternoon,” he said. “I can confirm that this incident is not connected. It occurred around three hours after the protest had concluded.”
The current terrorism threat level was set at “substantial” which meant that an attack was a strong possibility. It was last set at the “critical” level following five terrorist attacks in just a year.
Meanwhile, UK Prime Minister Borris Johnson took to social media his thoughts with those affected by the incident. He also thanked the emergency services team on the scene.
“I am appalled and disgusted that people should lose their lives in this way and our thoughts are very much with the families and friends of the victims today,” he said.
