A stabbing incident in a U.K. park that killed three people has been declared an act of terror, British police said Sunday.
Three people were killed and another three others were injured and taken to a hospital after the stabbing on Saturday in a garden in Reading, England, Thames Valley Police said.
A 25-year-old man from Reading was detained at the scene and has been arrested on “suspicion of murder,” Thames Valley Police said. He is in police custody but has not been identified.
“This was a truly tragic incident and the thoughts of Thames Valley Police are with all those who have been affected,” Chief Constable John Campbell said in a statement. “Incidents of this nature are very rare, though I know that will be of little comfort to those involved and understand the concern that this incident will have caused amongst our local community.”
He urged the public to “avoid the area at this time.”
Detective Chief Superintendent Ian Hunter said in a statement Saturday that the incident was not connected to a Black Lives Matter protest that took place in Reading earlier in the day.
He also called for anyone who captured video of the stabbings on a phone to speak with the police, but urged them to not circulate the footage on social media out of respect for those who died or were injured and their loved ones.
“I’m appalled and sickened that people should lose their lives in this way. Our thoughts are with the families and friends of the victims,” British Prime Minister Boris Johnson said Sunday.
“If there are lessons that we need to learn about how we handle such cases and how we handle the events leading up to such cases then we will learn those lessons and we will not hesitate to take action when necessary,” he added.