A 36-year-old Brazilian man with dual Spanish nationality, Marcus Aurelio Arduini Monzoa, has been charged with murder for a violent attack in London that left four people injured, including two police officers. The attack took place in a town in northeast London around 7 am and lasted for 22 minutes.
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 a sharp object.
The investigation into the attack is complex due to the number of crime scenes, forensic evidence, video surveillance recordings, and witnesses that authorities have to analyze. The incident began when a van crashed into a fence near a tube station in Hainault and triggered 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 during this timeframe including an engineer who suffered stab wounds while protecting his family and Daniel Anjorin who later died from his injuries at the hospital. Despite police arriving at the scene within minutes they were unable to neutralize the attacker immediately due to his aggressive behavior towards officers and civilians alike. After 22 minutes on scene Monzoa was finally arrested by authorities.
The motive behind this heinous act is currently unclear; however authorities ruled out any links to terrorism activity. This incident comes amid rising concerns about knife attacks across UK and just days prior to local elections in London. The bravery of those who intervened during the attack has been praised including Henry De Los Ríos Polania who sustained injuries while protecting his family members from harm