Update on incident at school in Brent

Below is a transcript of an oral statement delivered by Detective Chief Superintendent Luke Williams this evening following an incident at a school in north west London today - Tuesday, 10 February.

"I’m Detective Chief Superintendent Luke Williams and I’m responsible for policing in north west London. I’m here today to provide an update in relation to an incident which took place at Kingsbury High School in Brent earlier.

"Officers were called to Bacon Lane at around 12:40hrs following a report that a 13-year-old boy had been stabbed. Armed and local officers were on the scene within 13 minutes of the 999 call.

"On arrival, we were made aware that a 12-year-old boy had also been stabbed and both boys have been taken to hospital .

"We await an update on how they are, though we understand their conditions to be serious. The thoughts of everyone at the Met are with them and their loved ones, and we want to thank the doctors and nurses who are providing the boys with urgent care.

"The suspect - who we believe to be 13 - left the scene following the stabbing.

"After urgent enquiries our officers arrested him and also recovered a weapon which we believe to have been used in the stabbing.

"The suspect was arrested on suspicion of attempted murder and remains in custody for questioning by our officers.

"This is a fast-moving and developing investigation, but we are not currently looking for anyone else in relation to this incident.

"At this very early stage, we are keeping an open mind as to any motivation behind this attack. However, due to the surrounding circumstances, the investigation is now being led by officers from Counter Terrorism Policing London, who are working closely with our local officers in response to this incident.

"This has not currently been declared a terrorist incident and the investigation team will now be working at pace to gather any evidence and to establish the full circumstances of what has happened as quickly as possible.

"I absolutely recognise that this incident will cause considerable concern - especially among our local community, students and parents of the school. I hope the news that we’ve arrested and detained the suspect will provide some reassurance, but our officers will remain in the area to offer support and answer any questions.

"We’d encourage anyone with concerns or further information to speak to them.

"We’ll provide further updates as additional facts emerge.

"Thank you for your time."