London’s Metropolitan police have arrested a man on suspicion of causing grievous bodily harm after another man was stabbed in the arm outside the British Museum.
The British Museum was immediately evacuated and closed to the public after the incident, which happened at around 10 a.m. on August 8. The museum reopened later that same morning.
Ambulance crews took the victim, a 36-year-old man to hospital, where he is still being treated for the stab wound. The Metropolitan Police confirmed that his condition has been assessed as not life-threatening or life-changing.
The incident took place just outside the museum’s entrance, at the junction of Russell Street and Museum Street. The man with the knife may have been standing in the queue.
“The Museum’s security team supported at the scene until the emergency services arrived,” a spokesperson for the British Museum said in a statement. “Visitors were evacuated from the Museum as a precaution and we wish the victim a full and swift recovery.”
An eyewitness told LBC that he believes the victim was a member of the public picked out at random. He claims to have seen a man with a “large knife appearing angry” and “talking to himself.”
The police have said that “the scene may be in place for much of today.”
The police believe the stabbing to have been an isolated incident, with no further risk to the public. The museum said that they have raised security in response to the incident, introducing a heightened search operation.
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