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London: 1 dead, 5 hurt in stabbing attack; terror suspected

London police are investigating whether a late night stabbing spree in the city center was an Islamic terror attack. 

A man stabbed and murdered a woman and wounded five others in Russell Square, which is near the British Museum, in the city center of London, late Wednesday night.

The police said they arrested the assailant and used a Taser stun gun to halt his attack.

Metropolitan Police Assistant Commissioner Mark Rowley stated the murdered woman was in her 60s. The wounded include four men and a woman.

He said the attacker is 19-years-old and in police custody.

“Early indications suggest that mental health is a significant factor in this case and that is one major line of inquiry,” Rowley said.

He said that “terrorism as a motivation” was also being investigated. Counter-terrorism officials from the Scotland Yard were reportedly alerted to the scene.

Europe has heightened its level of alertness and has been on edge in recent weeks in the wake of several Islamic terror attacks in France and Germany.

The Islamic State (ISIS) terror group claimed responsibility for several of the attacks and vowed to carry out further acts of terror against Western targets.

By: Aryeh Savir, World Israel News
AP contributed to this report.