Manchester Victoria stabbing: Terror suspect detained under Mental Health Act after New Year's Eve knife attack

Man, 25, questioned by counter terrorism detectives after commuters seriously injured in railway station stabbing

A terror suspect arrested over a knife attack at a Manchester rail station has been detained under the Mental Health Act, as detectives continue to investigate the “frenzied” stabbing that left two commuters and a police officer seriously injured.

The 25-year-old man was held on suspicion of attempted murder and questioned by counter terrorism officers after the New Year’s Eve attack at Manchester Victoria.

Witnesses said the suspect shouted “Allah” and “Long live the Caliphate” during the rampage, which happened next to the arena where suicide bomber Salman Abedi killed 22 people at an Ariana Grande concert in May 2017.

Greater Manchester Police (GMP) said the suspect had “been assessed by specialist medical staff and detained under the Mental Health Act”.

The counter terrorism investigation was continuing, the force said.

In a statement on Tuesday night, GMP added: “There is nothing to suggest the involvement of other people in this attack, but confirming this remains a main priority for the investigation.”

Assistant chief constable Russ Jackson reporters at an earlier briefing that the suspect lived in the Cheetham Hill area of the city and that officers were conducting a search at his address. He said a man and a woman, a couple in their 50s, suffered multiple stab wounds in the “frenzied” and “random” attack.

A patrolling British Transport Police officer, a man in his 30s, was also injured as he “bravely and immediately” confronted the attacker with a Taser and pepper spray.

A GMP spokesman said: “The police sergeant... was taken to hospital with a stab wound to his shoulder following the attack at the station.”

None of the three victims suffered life-threatening injuries.

On Tuesday morning police raided a newly built semi-detached house on Schoolside Close in Cheetham Hill, a mile north of the city centre. Tactical Aid Unit vans were stationed outside, with a policeman stood guarding the door.

Theresa May said: “My thoughts are with those who were injured in the suspected terrorist attack in Manchester. I thank the emergency services for their courageous response.”

Home secretary Sajid Javid tweeted: “Just had an update from Terrorism Police about last night’s Manchester Victoria incident and their investigation. Can’t praise police and emergency services response enough – swift and brave.”

A spokesperson for the Muslim Council of Britain said: “Our thoughts and prayers are with the three victims and the courageous police whose actions appear to have prevented further causalities. We hope the perpetrator faces the full force of justice for this suspected terrorist attack.”

There was also praise for a woman wearing a headscarf who helped the victims. The unidentified woman was one of three members of the public who went to the aid of the two wounded commuters. After being pictured with her arm around a victim, she was lauded on social media as “far more reflective of Muslims than the idiot with a knife”.

Mohammed Shafiq, chief executive of the Manchester-based Ramadhan Foundation, a Muslim organisation that opposes extremism, said it was “heartwarming” to see the female providing comfort to the victims alongside other “brave citizens”.

He told The Independent: “It doesn’t surprise me that a Muslim woman in a hijab stopped to give comfort. We had Muslim taxi drivers take people for free after the Manchester Arena attack. It is a very positive image of our community. It is things like this which bring us together.”

In a tweet, Mr Shafiq added: “Terrorists want to divide communities but we won’t let them succeed. Manchester is always United.”

Former top prosecutor Nazir Afzal tweeted: “Awful news but Manchester has shown how it responds to those who try to divide us. The woman with hijab helping victims is far more reflective of Muslims than the idiot with a knife.”