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, a man with a knife attacked people in Forbury Gardens, Reading, United Kingdom. Three people died from their wounds and three were seriously injured. A 25-year-old man was arrested at the scene on suspicion of murder.
Stabbings
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]
Suspect
A suspect with a knife was chased, tackled, and pinned to the ground by police officers.[5][6] The 25-year-old man was arrested, on suspicion of murder.[7][8][9] 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.[10][11] Thames Valley Police detective chief superintendent Ian Hunter said "Officers are keeping an open mind as to the motivation for the incident and are being supported by colleagues from Counter Terrorism Policing South East."[12]
Casualties
At three fatalities and three seriously injured have been confirmed.[13] Two air ambulances were deployed to the scene.[14] A number of people were hospitalised.[8] A spokesperson for the Royal Berkshire Hospital confirmed that two victims of the attack were being treated in their emergency department.[15]
Reactions
Home Secretary Priti Patel and Labour Party Leader Keir Starmer both expressed their concern over the incident.[3][16] 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.[17]
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]
- ^ [4]
- ^ 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.
- ^ [5]
- ^ [6]
- ^ [7]
- ^ 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.