Terrorist Knife Attack in London Subway Leaves Three Injured

A man in East London’s subway injured three people while reportedly shouting, "This is for Syria." London police have classified the incident as a "terrorist attack" following the arrest of the assailant. Richard Walton, head of the London Counter Terrorism Unit, stated on December 5 that they consider this event a terrorist act. The police used stun guns to apprehend the attacker. According to Reuters, one of the injured has serious wounds while the other two sustained minor injuries. A London newspaper, the Evening Standard, reported that the assailant shouted, "This is for Syria," although the police have not officially confirmed this. The Guardian reported that police arrived at the scene eight minutes after reports of the attack. The attack on Saturday evening disrupted transport on the central line of the subway. Video footage showed police arresting the assailant, with a man shouting in response, "You are not a Muslim." Currently, the UK is on "severe" alert due to the risks posed by potential extremist attacks, reflecting concerns in some European countries about attacks that could be carried out by extremists who have traveled to and returned from Syria. Three weeks ago, widespread attacks in Paris killed 130 people. In July 2005, bombings on the subway and a bus in London killed 52 people, marking the worst such attacks carried out by Islamist extremists. The UK has recently joined the coalition against the group known as the "Islamic State" in Syria, and its fighter jets have begun attacks against this group. The country’s Defense Minister, during a visit to British soldiers at the Akrotiri airbase in Cyprus, stated that participation in the anti-ISIS coalition would make "the streets of Britain safer." Prime Minister David Cameron mentioned that seven plots to carry out attacks were thwarted last year, with at least one case involving potential attackers using knives against citizens.