American among 3 dead in terrorism-linked stabbing in British town

A mourner is comforted by a police officer as flower tributes are placed at the entrance to Holt School in Wokingham, England, in memory of teacher James Furlong, a victim of a terror attack in nearby Reading. Picture: Steve Parsons/PA via AP

A mourner is comforted by a police officer as flower tributes are placed at the entrance to Holt School in Wokingham, England, in memory of teacher James Furlong, a victim of a terror attack in nearby Reading. Picture: Steve Parsons/PA via AP

Published Jun 22, 2020

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Reading, England - The English town of

Reading held a minute's silence on Monday for the victims of a

stabbing that killed three people including an American in the

latest terrorism-linked attack.

Three people were also hospitalised after a man wielding a

five-inch knife went on the rampage in a park on Saturday,

randomly stabbing people enjoying a sunny, summer evening.

A Western security source, speaking on condition of

anonymity, told Reuters that the suspect was a 25-year-old

Libyan called Khairi Saadallah.

Calling the incident terrorism, police said a 25-year-old

had been arrested but they were not hunting others. "What we saw

here on Saturday evening in Reading was the actions of one lone

individual," Home Secretary (interior minister) Priti Patel said

Patel later told parliament that the risk from lone

attackers was growing, and that if further government action was

needed to stop such incidents, she would not hesitate to act.

The Philadelphia Inquirer said one of the dead was U.S.

citizen Joe Ritchie-Bennett, 39, who had lived in Britain for 15

years. US ambassador Woody Johnson sent condolences to

families of victims. "To our great sorrow, this includes an

American citizen," he said on Twitter.

Colleagues and pupils of teacher James Furlong stand together to take part in a period of silence at the Holt School, in Wokingham, England. Picture: Steve Parsons/PA via AP

Teacher James Furlong, 36, who was friends with

Ritchie-Bennett according to media reports, was also killed. "He

was beautiful, intelligent, honest and fun," his parents said.

The third victim has not yet been identified.

ON MI5'S RADAR

The security source told Reuters that Saadallah had come

across the radar of Britain's domestic security agency MI5 last

year over intelligence he had aspirations to travel for

extremist purposes, although his plans then came to nothing.

"The security services have records on thousands of people

and rightly so," said Patel, adding she was limited in what she

could say because the investigation was live.

Police forensic officers search near the scene of a fatal multiple stabbing attack in Forbury Gardens, central Reading, England. A lone terror suspect remains in custody accused of killing three people and wounding three others in a Reading park on Saturday night. Picture: Kirsty Wigglesworth/AP

Shocked residents of Reading, about 40 miles (65 km) west of

London, held a minute's silence at 0900 GMT.

The attack was reminiscent of some recent incidents in

Britain that authorities also called terrorism.

In February, police shot dead a man, previously jailed for

promoting violent Islamist material, who had stabbed two people

on a busy street in south London. Last November, another man who

had been jailed for terrorism offences stabbed two people to

death on London Bridge before he too was shot dead by police. 

Reuters

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