The officer may have lost a hand in a sword attack in Hainault

A Metropolitan Police officer was “not a million miles away” from losing her hand after she was injured in a sword attack in north-east London.

A 14-year-old boy died in the attack on Tuesday in Hainaut and four others, including two police officers, were injured.

On Wednesday, Met Commissioner Sir Mark Rowley said the officer had suffered “horribly serious” arm injuries.

A male officer’s hand was also seriously injured, he added.

A 36-year-old man was arrested on suspicion of murder and is in hospital.

The Met Police said the man was injured and had not yet been interviewed due to his condition.

The teenager died from stab wounds shortly after being taken to hospital. His identity has not been released and his family is being supported by specially trained police personnel.

Speaking to LBC, Sir Mark said: “The first thing you have to say is to the affected parents who lost their 14-year-old and that is just terrible and everyone’s worst nightmare.”

“I’m sure we’re all thinking about her.”

He added: “We were on the ground in 12 minutes and he was arrested after 22 minutes. Apparently some of the initial contact resulted in officers being very seriously injured.”

He said the officer underwent several hours of surgery after suffering “horrendously severe” wounds to her arm and that it was “not a million miles away” that she could lose her hand.

Sir Mark added that a surgeon had since spent “many, many hours putting her arm back together” and “based on what the surgeon has said, we are increasingly optimistic that after months and years and a lot of physiotherapy a complete one will be achieved.” Recovery could occur “possible”.

“They say officers run toward danger. There are officers running towards someone brandishing a sword,” he said.

Two other people remain in hospital, but their condition is not considered life-threatening, police said.

The parents of Grace O’Malley-Kumar, a 19-year-old student who was killed in a knife attack in Nottingham last year, have sent their condolences to the teenager’s family.

Speaking to Good Morning Britain, Grace’s father Dr. Sanjoy Kumar described the attack in Hainault as “horrific” and said the grief likely felt by the 14-year-old’s family was “felt only by a few like us who have lost children here”. “absolutely terrible circumstances”.

Her mother, Dr. Sinead O’Malley said she hoped the family would recover in time.

She added: “I don’t think there’s anything anyone can say that will really do anything to ease his hurt and pain.”

The O’Malley-Kumar family comes from Woodford Green in east London, about 15 minutes’ drive from Hainault.

A “vanload” of officers arrived at the scene on Wednesday, with at least 20 officers seen at the scene at 07:30 BST by a BBC London reporter.

Their high-visibility vests were “as far as the eye could see” as officers spoke to people and collected evidence.

A police cordon remained in place and officers were stationed on New North Road near Hainault subway station.

Two buses stopped at the scene of the accident on Tuesday remain on New North Road as they cannot be removed from the cordon, while residents must give their names to a police officer before they can cross the road.

A man carrying a bag of toilet paper and a woman taking her child to school saw their names written on a piece of paper.

A former police sergeant in Hainault told the BBC that the neighborhood was a quiet residential area where an attack like Tuesday’s would not be expected.

Police say they do not believe the incident is terrorism-related or targeted.

They were called to reports that a car had driven into a home and people had been stabbed around 7 a.m. Tuesday.

The suspect was then seen jumping over people’s garden fences and running around with a sword. Eventually he was cornered in a front yard and insulted.

In a video obtained by the Press Association, the words “suspect contained” can be heard as an officer pulls the sword away from the attacker.

Police said they were not looking for any other suspects.

In response to speculation about the man’s background, including police contact with him, police said police checks had found no evidence of a previous incident involving the man.

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