School stabbing suspect ‘former pupil who used uniform as a disguise’

A 13-year-old who stabbed two boys at a secondary school is thought to be a former pupil who disguised himself in the correct uniform to carry out the attack.

Two pupils at Kingsbury High School, in Brent, north-west London, were left seriously injured after being stabbed at lunchtime on Tuesday.

In an update on Wednesday, Detective Chief Superintendent Helen Flanagan said the victims were in a stable condition in hospital, and their wounds – although serious – are “thankfully not life-threatening”.

Police said the suspect fled the scene and was later arrested on suspicion of attempted murder.

Investigators are analysing his devices and going through dozens of witness accounts as they try to establish the motive for the attack.

The grandfather of two pupils at the school said that they believe the suspected offender was a former pupil.

Janti Kalyan, 60, added his grandchildren said the attacker was wearing the school’s uniform. He went on: “My grandchildren are traumatised.”

Another girl, who was in a nearby classroom when the attack happened, told her brother that the suspect had “beef” with a boy at the school.

Sir Keir Starmer called the stabbing “an appalling attack” during Prime Minister’s Questions on Wednesday.

Schools minister Georgia Gould told Sky News that the Government could look at bolstering security in schools in the wake of the stabbing, but ruled out installing metal detectors.

According to reports, the offender “climbed over a wall” to gain entry to the school and one of the victims alerted teachers to the attack by pulling the fire alarm.

They boys who were stabbed are aged 12 and 13.

Speaking at the school on Tuesday, Detective Chief Superintendent Luke Williams said: “The suspect, who we believe to be 13, left the scene following the stabbing.

“After urgent inquiries, our officers arrested him and also recovered a weapon which we believe to have been used in the stabbing.

“The suspect was arrested on suspicion of attempted murder and remains in custody for questioning by our officers.”

He said police were “keeping an open mind as to any motivation behind the attack”.

“However, due to the surrounding circumstances, the investigation is now being led by officers from counter-terrorism policing London, who are working closely with our local officers in response to this incident,” Mr Williams continued.

“The investigation has not currently been declared a terrorist incident, and the investigation team will now be working at pace to gather any evidence and to establish the full circumstances of what’s happened as quickly as possible.”

He said the victims were understood to be in a “serious” condition.

The headteacher of the school said the incident was “a deeply traumatic event for the whole school community”, in a letter to parents and carers.

Alex Thomas said: “I fully appreciate that this will be very upsetting news to hear and, as you can imagine, this has been a deeply traumatic event for the whole school community.

“The situation is under control, but a live investigation is taking place.

“We are working closely with the authorities and I will provide further updates as soon as I am able to share confirmed information.

“Please keep the students and their families in your thoughts.”

Mr Thomas said the lower school would be closed on Wednesday and students should stay at home, but the upper school would be open for students in Years 10-13.

Simon Theodorou, a parent of a child at the school, told the Telegraph that the attacker “managed to get his way in by climbing over a wall”.

He also claimed one of the victims “pulled the fire alarm to get help”, praising the boy as a “hero”.

Pupils were spoken to by police officers in one of the school’s halls for more than three hours after the usual school day finished on Tuesday – and some were seen leaving in tears.

The father of one pupil said children were obviously “traumatised by what happened in front of them”.

Home Secretary Shabana Mahmood said her thoughts and prayers were with the two children stabbed in the “shocking attack”.

Education Secretary Bridget Phillipson said she is “heartbroken” about the stabbings.

Brent Council leader Muhammed Butt thanked the emergency services and school staff for their “swift response”, adding: “No parent should ever have to fear for their child’s safety at school, and it is horrifying to think of how someone so young came to be in possession of a weapon capable of causing such harm.”

Mayor of London Sir Sadiq Khan urged anyone with information to contact the police, adding: “There is no honour in staying silent.

“This awful violence has absolutely no place in our city,” he said.

Kingsbury High School is an academy school serving children aged 11 to 18, with both upper and lower sites.

According to the latest Department for Education information, it has 1,997 pupils.