2020 Reading stabbings
 | This article documents a current event. Information may change rapidly as the event progresses, and initial news reports may be unreliable. The latest updates to this article may not reflect the most current information. |
| 2020 Reading stabbing | |
|---|---|
 Forbury Gardens in 2008 | |
  Forbury Gardens 2020 Reading stabbings (Reading Central)  2020 Reading stabbings (Berkshire)  2020 Reading stabbings (the United Kingdom) | |
| Location | Forbury Gardens, Reading, United Kingdom |
| Date | 20 June 2020 ~19:00 BST (UTC+1) |
Attack type | Mass stabbing |
| Deaths | 3 |
| Injured | 3+ |
| Accused | Unidentified |
On 20 June 2020 at around 19:00 BST, officers from Thames Valley Police were called to Forbury Gardens, a public park in the centre of Reading, England. Police responded to reports of a stabbing with multiple casualties. At least three fatalities and three serious injuries have been confirmed. A number of people had been hospitalised, and an arrest of a 25-year-old male suspect has been made.
Incident
On 20 June 2020 at around 19:00 BST, officers from Thames Valley Police were called to Forbury Gardens, a public park in the centre of Reading, England, 40 miles (64 kilometers) west of London.[1] Police responded to reports of a stabbing with multiple casualties.[2] A witness said the stabbing was "completely random", describing a lone person who shouted "unintelligible words" and attacked two different groups of people with a weapon.[3][4]
A suspect was chased and pinned to the ground by police officers.[5] The 25-year-old man was arrested, on suspicion of murder.[6][7][8] BBC reported that it had been told by security sources that the man arrested was believed to be Libyan, which was also what The Independent reported.[9][10]
At least three fatalities and three serious injuries have been confirmed.[11] Two air ambulances were deployed to the scene.[12] A number of people were hospitalised.[7] A spokesperson for the Royal Berkshire Hospital confirmed that two victims of the attack were being treated in their emergency department.[13]
Reactions
Home Secretary Priti Patel and Labour Party Leader Keir Starmer both expressed their concern over the incident.[3][14] Prime Minister Boris Johnson expressed his condolences and thanked emergency services for responding to the scene.[3]
The leader of Reading Borough Council described the situation as a "major incident," and asked people to avoid the town centre.[15]
References
- ^ [1]
- ^ "Police release full statement amid major incident in town". Reading Chronicle. Retrieved 20 June 2020.
- ^ a b c Wright, Mike; Bird, Steve; Hardy, Jack (20 June 2020). "Reading stabbings: Man arrested after three killed in Forbury Gardens attack". The Daily Telegraph. Retrieved 20 June 2020.
- ^ Stubley, Peter (20 June 2020). "Reading stabbing: At least two people stabbed in 'serious incident' in town centre". The Independent. Retrieved 20 June 2020.
- ^ [2]
- ^ [3]
- ^ a b Connett, David; Otte, Jedidajah (20 June 2020). "Reading stabbing: three dead as UK police investigate possible terrorism link". The Guardian. ISSN 0029-7712. Retrieved 20 June 2020.
- ^ "*UPDATED* Man arrested following incident of stabbing – Reading | Thames Valley Police". www.thamesvalley.police.uk. Thames Valley Police. Retrieved 20 June 2020.
- ^ [4]
- ^ [5]
- ^ Reading park stabbings: What we know so far
- ^ Ward, EJ (20 June 2020). "Forbury Gardens: 'Several dead' after mass stabbing incident in Reading". LBC News. Retrieved 20 June 2020.
- ^ Hornall, Thomas; Astle, Mary-ann (20 June 2020). "Multiple stabbings as police deal with 'major incident' in Reading park". Stoke Sentinel Live. Retrieved 20 June 2020.
- ^ "Three dead in stabbing attack in English town of Reading: report". Reuters. 20 June 2020. Retrieved 20 June 2020.
- ^ "Reading stabbings: At least two stabbed as police deal with 'terror incident'". Sky News. Retrieved 20 June 2020.