A SUSPECTED knifeman was seen walking “casually” near the British Museum with three blades before stabbing a man in the arm.
The alleged attacker was arrested when police swooped on the tourist attraction in Great Russell Street, central London, at around 10am.
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A cordon has been erected around the sceneCredit: PA
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A blue tent erected within the cordon outside the museumCredit: LBC / Henry Riley..
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Members of the public outside the museum following the evacuationCredit: PA
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A man is in custody on suspicion of causing grievous bodily harmCredit: LBC / Henry Riley..
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Police at the scene of the stabbing this morningCredit: @kewbist / twitter
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Police officers guard a cordon around the scene of the stabbingCredit: LBC / Henry Riley..
He attempted to flee the scene, but was detained by officers on suspicion of causing grievous body harm a short distance away.
A witness told The Sun: “I was walking to the chemist when I saw a man holding three huge silver knives.
“The blade and handle were silver and I couldn’t see the join between them.
“It was quite quiet at the time. People were looking at him but no one was reacting.
“I went into the chemist in a panic and told them there was a man with three knives and to call the police. The chemist left and started to follow him down the road to Bloomsbury Square, but he lost him in the park.
“We knew he was heading in the direction of the museum and there are a lot of tourists around there.”
She said she saw a police officer placing a large knife, around a foot long, into an evidence bag.
The woman added: “The police van was parked on my street and as they put him into the van he stared at me and my husband. It was chilling and felt intimidating.”
The condition of the middle-aged male victim, said by witnesses to have been “dropping in blood”, is being assessed after he suffered a stab wound to the arm.
The man is understood to have been attacked while waiting in the queue to enter the museum.
A blue forensics tent could be seen outside the railings of the museum on the junction of Great Russell Street and Museum Street, just metres from the entrance.
All visitors were evacuated from the museum as a precaution, before it reopened at lunchtime with a “heightened search operation” in place.
A Met Police spokesperson said: “Police have arrested a man on suspicion of GBH following an incident at the junction of Russell Street and Museum Street around 10am.
“A man was treated for a stab wound to the arm at the scene and taken by London Ambulance Service to hospital. His condition is being assessed.
“This was an isolated incident and there is no outstanding risk to the public. It is not being treated as terror-related.
“The scene may be in place for much of today.”
A 27-year-old American woman said she was about to enter the queue at the British Museum when she was told to leave by police because someone had been stabbed.
The tourist, from New York, was leaving a Starbucks across from the museum when police approached her.
She told the PA news agency: “I was standing across the street at the Starbucks walking out to get into the line.
“We decided it was a good time to go, then we walked out and a cop directly in front of us told us we needed to leave and that the crime scene was large.
“I heard that someone was stabbed and the ambulance was parked inside near the grass area and then rushed down the street, right by me, with police following behind.
She said police had informed her the museum would be closed until tomorrow.
The manager of a nearby souvenir shop, who wished to remain anonymous, said he saw a middle-aged man stabbed while he waited in the queue for the museum on Great Russell Street not far from the Museum Tavern pub.
He attempted to escape and was “dripping blood everywhere”, the witness claimed.
A London Ambulance Service statement added: “We were called at 10.19am to reports of a stabbing on Great Russell Street, WC1B.
“We sent an ambulance crew and an incident response officer to the scene.
“We treated a man at the scene for an arm injury before taking him to a major trauma centre as a priority.”
The British Museum, in Bloomsbury, offers a huge collection of art and antiquities from ancient and living cultures – spanning over two million years of human life.
A spokesperson said: The Museum was closed this morning due to an incident following a member of the public being attacked nearby.
“The Museum’s security team supported at the scene until the emergency services arrived.
“Visitors were evacuated from the Museum as a precaution and we wish the victim a full and swift recovery.”
Anyone with information or footage which could assist the police investigation is asked to contact police on 101, quoting CADF 2184/08AUG, or anonymously via Crimestoppers on 0800 555 111.
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The museum was emptied of visitors following the incidentCredit: PA
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Tourists gather outside the British Museum following the evacuationCredit: Getty
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Forensics officers pictured close to the museum after a man was stabbedCredit: @kewbist / twitter
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Police have created a cordon within Great Russell StreetCredit: Getty
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A general view of the British Museum in central LondonCredit: Getty
Categories: Optical Illusion
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