VIDEO-Reading stabbings: Three people dead after Forbury Gardens attack - BBC News

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Three people have died and three more have been seriously injured after stabbings in a park in Reading, police confirmed.

A 25-year-old man from Reading has been arrested on suspicion of murder after being detained at the scene.

The attack happened at Forbury Gardens at about 19:00 BST where several people were stabbed.

Police are not currently treating the incident as terror-related, but counter terrorism officers were called.

Security sources have told the BBC a man arrested at the scene is thought to be Libyan.

One eyewitness told the BBC how he saw a man move between groups of people in the park trying to stab them and how the man ran towards him.

There were reports a police officer had "rugby tackled" the suspect to the ground, according to the Sunday Mirror.

Detective Chief Superintendent Ian Hunter, from Thames Valley Police, said they are not looking for any other people in connection with the attack.

He added: "This is not currently being treated as a terrorism incident, however officers are keeping an open mind as to the motivation for the incident and are being supported by colleagues from Counter Terrorism Policing South East."

Thames Valley Police said the incident was not connected to an earlier Black Lives Matter (BLM) protest in the park.

About a dozen armed police officers carrying shields were later seen entering a block of flats in Basingstoke Road in Reading at around 23:00 BST.

BBC News Home Affairs correspondent Dominic Casciani, who was outside the block of flats, said he heard a loud bang at the scene.

Throughout Saturday evening, residents of the Basingstoke Road flats that were raided by the police stood - increasingly cold - on the footpath, watching on astonished as armed police entered their home.

The first officers arrived at 20:00 BST and secured the scene - apparently asking some residents to leave their flats or preventing others from returning.

Two specialist Incident Response Units from the ambulance service arrived - indicating that police were possibly taking additional precautions at the scene.

At 23:00 BST, more than a dozen armed officers, carrying shields entered the central block and climbed the stairs to the upper floors. Around 00:30 BST there was a loud bang that sounded like it came from inside one of the flats.

Shortly afterwards lots of the armed team left the scene. People here are shocked - but absolutely none the wiser as to what is going on.

Prime Minister Boris Johnson said his "thoughts are with all of those affected by the appalling incident in Reading".

"My thanks to the emergency services on the scene," he added.

South Central Ambulance Service said it was "assessing and treating a number of casualties who had sustained injuries as a result of the incident".

'He started coming towards us'

Laurence Wort, 20, who was visiting Reading for the day, told the BBC he was about 10m away when the attack started.

"The park was pretty full, a lot of people sat around drinking with friends when one lone person walked through, suddenly shouted some unintelligible words and went round a large group trying to stab them.

"He stabbed three of them and then turned and started running towards me, when we turned and started running.

"When he realised that he couldn't catch us he tried to stab another group sat down.

"He got one in the back of the neck and then when he realised everyone was starting to run, he ran out the park."

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Claire Gould, a freelance journalist who lives in Reading, said she walked past Forbury Gardens at around 18:40 BST "and everything seemed calm".

She then saw an air ambulance land in King's Meadow - another park close to the scene - at around 19:00 BST, followed by a second around 10 minutes later.

"There were multiple sirens from 19:00 going on for the next couple of hours and police helicopters [were] circling," she added.

Home Secretary Priti Patel tweeted to say she was "deeply concerned" at the incident.

She said: "My thoughts are with everyone involved, including police and emergency responders at the scene."

Ms Patel later issued a statement condemning the stabbings as a "senseless attack on people simply enjoying a Saturday evening with family and friends".

Policing minister Kit Malthouse tweeted his "deepest sympathies to all affected" and described the incident as "horrific" and "dreadful".

Labour leader Sir Keir Starmer said the stabbing was "very concerning".

'Peaceful protest'

A Black Lives Matter protest was held in the area a few hours before the attack.

BLM organiser Nieema Hassan said in a video message posted to Facebook: "They [BLM protesters] were very peaceful and we worked with the police liaison.

"In terms of the protest and the people who attended from Black Lives Matter, we're all safe.

"None of us are affected. We had all left by the time this happened."