The 14-year-old victim of the London sword attack this week has been identified by UK police as Daniel Anjorin. Authorities have announced that the suspect will be charged with murder and other offenses related to the violent incident.
The attack occurred on Tuesday morning while Anjorin was walking to school in Hainault, located in the eastern part of London. The assailant, armed with what appeared to be a Samurai-type sword, fatally wounded the teenager.
Law enforcement officers intervened by tasering and apprehending the suspect, a 36-year-old man with no prior record of contact with the police.
The suspect in the London sword attack has been identified by police as Marcus Aurelio Arduini Monzo, a Spanish-Brazilian national. He is scheduled to appear at Barkingside Magistrates Court on May 2 to face charges including murder, attempted murder, grievous bodily harm, aggravated burglary, and possession of a bladed article.
This announcement follows the tragic death of Daniel Anjorin, the 14-year-old victim of the attack, as he was walking to school in Hainault. An independent school attended by Anjorin expressed deep sorrow and shock over his death in a statement issued on Wednesday.
Bancroft’s school in Woodford Green, near Hainault, remembered Daniel Anjorin as a dedicated scholar, praising his commitment to academic pursuits and noting his positive nature and gentle character, which will be deeply missed by the community.
The tragic events unfolded on Tuesday morning, just before 7:00 am (0600 GMT), according to London’s Metropolitan Police. The accused is alleged to have crashed a van into a house fence, injuring a 33-year-old man, whom he then allegedly stabbed in the neck. He is further accused of attacking a 35-year-old man inside a nearby property, causing lacerations to his arm, before the fatal incident involving Anjorin.
Despite police arriving on the scene 12 minutes after the initial emergency call, attempts to neutralize the suspect with incapacitant spray and a Taser gun were reportedly ineffective.
The suspect is accused of seriously injuring two police officers, both of whom underwent surgery on Tuesday and are currently hospitalized. One of the officers, a woman, sustained severe injuries to her arm, risking the loss of her hand, according to the Met.
After the attack, the suspect fled the scene, prompting terrified witnesses to seek refuge in nearby houses. Police eventually subdued him using a Taser, detaining him 22 minutes after the initial emergency call.
“This is a complex investigation due to the number of crime scenes, forensic evidence, hours of CCTV footage, and witnesses we need to speak to,” stated Larry Smith, the detective leading the investigation.
“I know that many people will want answers, and we are working to provide them as soon as we can,” he added. “I would also echo previous calls for patience as my officers carry out a painstaking investigation to deliver justice for Daniel, his family, those injured, and the wider community.”
Police have confirmed that the attack was not terror-related. This incident occurred amidst a surge in stabbings across the United Kingdom and just before voters decided in local elections on Thursday whether to re-elect London mayor Sadiq Khan for a record third term.
Conservative Prime Minister Rishi Sunak has criticized the opposition Labour Party’s Khan for his handling of crime-related issues.
The tragic death of Anjorin marks the second recent loss for Bancroft’s. Last year, former pupil Grace O’Malley-Kumar was killed in Nottingham while attempting to save her friend from a knife attack. Valdo Calocane was subsequently sentenced to indefinite detention in a psychiatric hospital for the stabbing deaths of O’Malley-Kumar, fellow student Barnaby Webber, and 65-year-old school caretaker Ian Coates.
