Kent Police are investigating whether a suspect in custody, who allegedly stabbed a soldier near an army barracks in southeast England, was motivated by mental health issues. The 24-year-old man was arrested on suspicion of attempting to murder a man in his 40s in Gillingham, southeast of London. The victim was airlifted to hospital with serious but stable condition.
Prime Minister Keir Starmer expressed his shock and appall at the incident, extending his thoughts to the soldier and the armed forces community. Kent Police arrested the suspect in Rochester within 30 minutes of the attack near the British Army's Brompton Barracks. The suspect had left the scene on a motorcycle, and several knives were seized.
Acting chief superintendent Richard Woolley stated that the motivation for the attack remains unknown and is part of ongoing investigations, with mental health being considered as a possible factor. Investigators do not believe anyone else was involved, and there is no indication of wider threats to the local community.
The attack recalls the 2013 murder of British soldier Lee Rigby. Earlier on Tuesday, radical preacher Anjem Choudary, whose group inspired Rigby's killers, was found guilty of directing a terrorist organization. A British Army spokesman confirmed a soldier had sustained serious injuries in the attack. A witness described the scene of blood and wounds, and noted the attacker's restraint towards the soldier's wife.
Defence Secretary John Healey called the attack shocking and expressed his support for the soldier and his family.
