ANKARA/London (AA): At least one woman in her 60s was killed and five others injured in a knife attack in central London, police said late Wednesday.

“Officers are currently on scene at #RussellSquare. Up to six people injured and one person has died. A man has been detained and arrested by police #RussellSquare,” Metropolitan police said on its official Twitter account.

The man is 19 years old and mental health was a “significant factor” in the incident, the police said.

“Police were called at 22:33 hours on Wednesday, 3 August to reports of a man seen in possession of a knife injuring people at Russell Square, WC1,” the Twitter statement said.

“A female (no further details) was treated at the scene but was pronounced dead a short time later.”

A number of policemen were deployed to the scene, it said, adding: “Terrorism is one possibility being explored at this stage.”

Britain announced Wednesday the deployment of 600 extra armed police on the streets of London in response to terror incidents across Europe.

The deployment is unusual because most British officers do not carry firearms, but police commissioner Bernard Hogan-Howe said the operation was not based on any “specific intelligence”.

Terror threat levels in the U.K. are used by agencies and the police to determine the level of security they should provide to public buildings and figures.

The level has been at severe, the second highest, since August 2014.
Author Diyar Güldoğan

[Photo: Tony Hisgett from Birmingham/Creative Commons]