A man was stabbed to death at the entrance to the British Museum in London on Tuesday morning and his alleged attacker arrested, police, who are not classifying the incident as a terrorist incident, said.
• Also read: Asylum seekers aboard UK ‘floating prison’
• Also read: Dozens of swimmers fall ill after British triathlon competition
The initially evacuated museum, whose collections include the Rosetta Stone and the Parthenon Marbles, reopened to the public early in the afternoon.
In a statement, police said they intervened around 10:00 a.m. local time (09:00 GMT) over a “single incident that was not considered to be of a terrorist nature”: “A man was treated for a stab wound. ‘ injured his arm and was taken to the hospital.
Another “was arrested for assault and assault” after the incident happened “at the junction of Russell Street and Museum Street,” where the main entrance to the museum, one of Britain’s most-visited attractions, is located, Scotland Yard said.
The victim was queuing to enter the museum when it was attacked, according to witnesses quoted by the Press Association agency.
The UK has been hit by several knife attacks by jihadists in recent years. Knife crime is rife in the UK, where gun ownership is very tightly controlled.
In a statement, the British Museum said its security forces “provided assistance before help arrived”.
“Visitors have been evacuated from the museum as a precaution,” he added, adding that visitor controls had been tightened when it reopened.