Police are appealing for witnesses after a man brandishing a knife was arrested Thursday outside one of the UK’s leading preparatory schools.
According to the Daily Telegraph, the suspect now in detention “has appeared on a counter-terror watchlist in the past after expressing an interest in extremist Islamist ideology.”
The outlet reports police were called at around 8.10am on Thursday following reports a man had been spotted carrying a weapon close to Godstowe School in High Wycombe, 32 miles from central London.
The Telegraph outlined what happened next:
Officers from Thames Valley Police challenged the suspect, who tried to run away. They threatened him with their Tasers and were able to disarm and detain him before armed officers could be deployed.
He was arrested at the scene on suspicion of carrying a knife in a public place and taken into custody.
Police said it was too early to confirm whether the incident was being treated as a foiled terrorist attack, but the Telegraph understands the suspect has appeared on a counter-terror watchlist in the past after expressing an interest in extremist Islamist ideology.
The Telegraph further alleged the man has a “previous conviction for a child sex offence.”
Thames Valley Police have now promised an increased presence in the area and have appealed for anyone who witnessed the event to contact them.
Godstowe School was founded in 1900. It is a leading private prep schools and was attended by Lady Gabriella Kingston, the daughter of Prince and Princess Michael of Kent. It caters for girls aged three to 13 and has a pre-prep school for boys aged between three and seven.
The institution was the first British boarding preparatory school for girls and currently has more than 380 pupils.
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