A 36-year-old Brazilian man with dual Spanish nationality, Marcus Aurelio Arduini Monzoa, has been charged with murder for a sword attack in London that resulted in the death of a 14-year-old teenager and left four other people injured. The attack, which lasted 22 minutes, occurred in a town in northeast London around 7 in the morning.
Monzoa was reported to have cut the first victim, a pedestrian, in the neck before breaking into a family home and attacking the father. He then proceeded to murder Daniel Anjorin, a 14-year-old on his way to school and nearly severed a police officer’s arm. Monzoa appeared in court charged with Anjorin’s murder as well as two counts of attempted murder, two counts of grievous bodily harm, aggravated robbery and possession of sharp objects.
The investigation into the attack is considered complex due to the number of crime scenes, forensic evidence, video surveillance recordings and witnesses authorities have to analyze. The attack began when a van crashed into a fence near a tube station in Hainault triggering a series of violent events that left multiple victims injured.
Police received a call shortly before 7 am reporting the initial incident involving the van crash. Monzoa attacked multiple individuals including Henry De Los Ríos Polania who suffered neck injuries while defending his family. Despite police arriving at the scene within minutes they were unable to neutralize him immediately causing harm to officers and civilians before being arrested 22 minutes after the initial call.
The motive for this heinous crime is currently unclear and authorities are ruling out any links to terrorism. This incident comes amidst rising concerns about knife attacks in UK just days before local elections in London. The bravery of those who intervened during this horrific event has been commended including Henry De Los Ríos Polania whose quick thinking saved lives.
