An arrest has been made in Edmonton after a fifth stabbing this week was reported in the area of North London earlier today.
It is believed the latest stabbing took place on Fairfield Road but that the victim then walked to Aberdeen Road, the scene of a previous attack at the weekend, to seek assistance.
The victim, thought to be in his 30s, was taken to hospital where it is said he remains in a ‘life-threatening’ condition, reports the BBC.
The stabbing this morning follows a string of violent attacks over the weekend. During a 10 hour period, 4 people were approached from behind and stabbed, apparently at random, in what police described as “cowardly and senseless” attacks.
A man in his 30’s has been arrested on suspicion of Grievous Bodily Harm (GBH) following today’s attack. It is not yet known if the stabbings are connected and the Metropolitan Police say they “retain an open mind” about a potential link between the attacks.
The suspect arrested today is said to have a similar description to the man suspected of the attacks over the weekend. The suspect over the weekend was described by witnesses as a 6’3″ black male and the suspect from today’s stabbing was described as “a tall, skinny black man, wearing a hoody”.
Acting Detective Chief Inspector Stuart Smillie was quick to point out “There is nothing to suggest this incident is terror-related.” He continued: “We are working on the hypothesis that the single male suspect is acting alone and mental health issues may be a factor”.
“All of the people he has targeted have been walking alone and he has approached from behind without warning”, he added. Schools in the area were said to be on ‘lockdown’ due to the incidents, with pupils not allowed to leave the school during breaks.
Knife crime in the UK has reached a 40 year high, with 14,987 knife related incidents reported in the capital alone. This accounts for 38% of all knife crime across England and Wales.