Man charged over London Tube attack
A man was due to appear in an English court charged with attempted murder following a knife attack at Leytonstone station.
|||London - A 29-year-old man was due to appear in an English court Monday charged with attempted murder following a knife attack in a London Underground train station.
Muhaydin Mire, who lives in Leytonstone in east London, is accused of attempting to kill a 56-year-old man at Leytonstone station on Saturday.
The victim suffered “serious” stab wounds but is in a stable condition in an east London hospital, police said.
A second man sustained a minor injury but did not require medical assistance.
Police fired Taser electric stun guns at a suspect during the incident.
Mire, who was arrested after the knife attack, is due to make his first appearance at Westminster Magistrate’s Court in central London on Monday after being charged earlier in the day.
Police have increased uniformed and plain-clothes patrols at transport hubs following the incident at the suburban station on the Central Line.
“The safety of the travelling public remains our top priority,” said Assistant Chief Constable Mark Newton of the British Transport Police force.
“In addition to our usual specialist response teams, last week we launched Project Servator, deploying even more highly-visible police patrols designed to identify and deter terrorism.
“Following Saturday's incident, we are now deploying still more officers in this role.
“They involve both uniformed and plain-clothed officers, supported by other resources, such as armed officers, police dogs, a network of CCTV cameras, and the thousands of rail staff we work alongside.
“We ask the public to remain calm and carry on using public transport as normal.”
General levels of security are influenced by the national terror threat level.
It was raised in August 2014 to severe, the second highest of five levels, meaning an attack is considered highly likely.
The Central Line runs on an east-west axis through the British capital. First opened in 1900, it is the longest of London's Tube lines, serving 49 stations - only 20 of which are below ground - along 74 kilometres of track.
Coloured red on the famous London Tube map, it is one of only two lines that go beyond the administrative boundary of London.
Leytonstone station contains murals with scenes from the films of Alfred Hitchcock. The director, born in 1899, hailed from Leytonstone.
The chief magistrate of England and Wales, senior district judge Howard Riddle, sits at Westminster Magistrate’s Court.
He is responsible for hearing many of the most sensitive or complex cases in the magistrates' courts.
AFP