Warlord
05-22-2013, 11:07 AM
A man has died and two are injured after police responded to a reported machete attack in south-east London.
The government is reported to be treating the attack as a suspected terrorist incident and the prime minister said it was "truly shocking".
Eyewitnesses said a man was assaulted in a Woolwich street by two individuals who were later shot by officers.
Local Member of Parliament Nick Raynsford said the dead man was a soldier at Woolwich barracks but this has not been confirmed.
Home Secretary Theresa May has summoned a meeting of the government's emergency response committee Cobra to assess the incident.
It is understood she has also requested updates from the Metropolitan Police Commissioner, Bernard Hogan-Howe, and the head of MI5.
BBC political editor Nick Robinson said the police view is that the attack may have been filmed and footage may exist.
People carrying out the attack were heard to say Allahu Akbar [God is Great] were heard, said our political editor.
London Ambulance Service confirmed one man had been found dead at the scene.
It said two men had been taken to hospital, one in a serious condition.
One of the men was airlifted from the scene, and another was taken away by road ambulance
A spokesperson said an air ambulance and four crews had attended the scene.
Witnesses reported by the Press Association said two people had been shot after armed police were called to an incident in which a man was attacked with a machete-style knife.
One witness, identified only as James, said two men had attacked another man, aged about 20, who was wearing a T-shirt of military charity Help for Heroes.
"These two guys were crazed. They were just animals. They dragged him from the pavement and dumped his body in the middle of the road and left his body there," he told LBC radio.
http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-22630303
The government is reported to be treating the attack as a suspected terrorist incident and the prime minister said it was "truly shocking".
Eyewitnesses said a man was assaulted in a Woolwich street by two individuals who were later shot by officers.
Local Member of Parliament Nick Raynsford said the dead man was a soldier at Woolwich barracks but this has not been confirmed.
Home Secretary Theresa May has summoned a meeting of the government's emergency response committee Cobra to assess the incident.
It is understood she has also requested updates from the Metropolitan Police Commissioner, Bernard Hogan-Howe, and the head of MI5.
BBC political editor Nick Robinson said the police view is that the attack may have been filmed and footage may exist.
People carrying out the attack were heard to say Allahu Akbar [God is Great] were heard, said our political editor.
London Ambulance Service confirmed one man had been found dead at the scene.
It said two men had been taken to hospital, one in a serious condition.
One of the men was airlifted from the scene, and another was taken away by road ambulance
A spokesperson said an air ambulance and four crews had attended the scene.
Witnesses reported by the Press Association said two people had been shot after armed police were called to an incident in which a man was attacked with a machete-style knife.
One witness, identified only as James, said two men had attacked another man, aged about 20, who was wearing a T-shirt of military charity Help for Heroes.
"These two guys were crazed. They were just animals. They dragged him from the pavement and dumped his body in the middle of the road and left his body there," he told LBC radio.
http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-22630303