Hainault victim Daniel Anjorin positive and gentle, school says

Metropolitan PoliceCopyright: Metropolitan Police

We're going to be ending our live coverage shortly. Here are the latest developments:

• Daniel Anjorin has been named as the 14-year-old schoolboy who died in hospital after being stabbed in a sword attack in Hainault, north-east London, on Tuesday. The above picture of him was released by police this afternoon
• He was a pupil of Bancroft's School, where Nottingham attack victim Grace O'Malley-Kumar also attended. The school said Daniel's "positive nature and gentle character will leave a lasting impact on us"
• The Met gave more details about the attack: The suspect hit a 33-year-old when he crashed a van into a property in Laing Close - he then attacked the man who suffered a neck wound. Another man, 35, was cut on his arm when he was attacked inside a nearby house

• Two officers sustained "really horrific injuries", the Met said. A male inspector suffered a badly damaged hand, while a female officer needed her arm "put back together"
• A 36-year-old man is in police custody after being arrested at the scene on suspicion of murder, having spent time in hospital for injuries sustained in the crash

• Family friends have visited Daniel's parents, who they said are "in shock" over the loss of their "lovely" son - but the community is supporting their every need

Met Commissioner Sir Mark Rowley told LBC radio this morning that the force is reviewing whether to issue Tasers - used to arrest the alleged Hainault suspect - more widely to officers.

Around 7,500 of his officers currently carry them - that's less than a quarter of the workforce.

He also said the Met is looking to increase stop and search in hotspot areas with the highest weapons crime in London.

That’s a tricky issue for the force - stop and search is a controversial tactic and the Met has promised a "fundamental reset" of the way it's used after being criticised in the Baroness Casey review last year over policing London’s black communities.

But the force is also under pressure to get more weapons off the streets, and has been piloting targeted patrols in parts of Lambeth, Barking and Dagenham.

The Metropolitan Police says there has been speculation about an arrest made the night before the sword attack in Hainault, on Tuesday.

The force confirmed this was not the 36-year-old man arrested on suspicion of murder.

"An arrest did take place at Copperwell on Monday, 29 April which relates to a different person and a separate incident," a spokesperson said.

The same friends of the Anjorin family, who we said in an earlier post had spoken to the BBC, have also been speaking to the PA news agency.

Daniel Anjorin, the 14-year-old killed in the attack yesterday, was "an amazing young man... very much loved by many, many people," Janti Charalambous is quoted as saying, who was dropping off a bag of supplies at the Anjorin family home.

Janti's son, who knew Daniel, is "heartbroken" to hear of his death, she says, adding:

Quote Message: I was talking to my son and he was so heartbroken, he can remember Daniel driving his little car and playing in the street. He said he can't imagine it happening to his own brother."

I was talking to my son and he was so heartbroken, he can remember Daniel driving his little car and playing in the street. He said he can't imagine it happening to his own brother."

Daniel "came from a wonderful family", Janti goes on, saying the community are supporting the family "in any shape or form that they need".

PA MediaCopyright: PA Media

The area is calm, if sombre, and behind streams of police tape the roads feel like they are almost in stasis.

In the distance are two London buses, which were driving through the area at the time of the attack and had to be abandoned. They have remained stationary ever since.

With forensic teams working on roads we cannot see from behind the tape, the only movement is that of residents who live within the taped-off zone.

Many of them saw or heard the attack. Some knew the 14-year-old victim Daniel Anjorin and would often see him as he made his way to school.

"They're a very nice family and you just can't imagine what they're going through now," one resident, who asks not to be named, says.

• Read more here

Friends of Daniel Anjorin's parents say they have spoken to his family, and that they are "obviously in shock" and "grieving" the 14-year-old boy's death.

Janti Charalambous tells the BBC that Daniel was a well-behaved, "lovely boy" who "excelled at school and in sport".

“His mum was saying he brought so much joy”, Janti says.

Another family friend, Ade Caxton-Cole, says they are a “close-knit” family and that the community is rallying around them to offer support.

Asked about how Daniel’s siblings were coping, she says his siblings “can’t believe that it has happened”.

“Having a brother one moment and then gone the next moment. It is a shock to them. They will need time. Right now it is too soon, it’s too close.”

BBCCopyright: BBC

There's a new item laying on top of the flowers left for victims.

It’s a card and the envelope reads "Daniel’s family". Now that the 14-year-old boy's identity has been revealed publicly, the grim reality of what has happened here in Hainault is even clearer.

Sikandar Uddin, 76, who lives in the area that has been cordoned off, tells me he heard police sirens and a helicopter as the attack was taking place.

But it was only when he watched his CCTV footage later in the day that he understood the extent of what had happened. He says he watched what appeared to be a man run past his front door, followed by someone else wielding what looked like a sword. "I was scared," he says.

Thinking of Daniel Anjorin, the child who lost his life on these same streets, Sikandar can't help his tears. He mentions his own grandchildren who come to visit him.

"Every life is important," he tells me.

Bancroft's, the school where Daniel Anjorin was a student, has released a statement about him - calling the 14-year-old who was killed in yesterday's attack a "true scholar".

Here is what they said in full:

Quote Message: We are devastated by the heartbreaking news of the death of Daniel Anjorin, who attended our school. This has left us in profound shock and sorrow.

We are devastated by the heartbreaking news of the death of Daniel Anjorin, who attended our school. This has left us in profound shock and sorrow.

Quote Message: Daniel joined Bancroft's at seven years old and quickly became a core member of our community. He was a true scholar, demonstrating commendable dedication to his academic pursuits. His positive nature and gentle character will leave a lasting impact on us. Losing such a young pupil is something we will always struggle to come to terms with.

Daniel joined Bancroft's at seven years old and quickly became a core member of our community. He was a true scholar, demonstrating commendable dedication to his academic pursuits. His positive nature and gentle character will leave a lasting impact on us. Losing such a young pupil is something we will always struggle to come to terms with.

Quote Message: We are now doing all we can to support our entire community through this most painful situation. Our thoughts and deepest sympathies are with Daniel's family during this incredibly difficult time."

We are now doing all we can to support our entire community through this most painful situation. Our thoughts and deepest sympathies are with Daniel's family during this incredibly difficult time."

Police say they're still "working to confirm the full detail" of what happened in Hainault yesterday - but here's what we do know about how the attack unfolded:

• Police were called shortly before 07:00 BST on Tuesday to reports of a vehicle being driven into a house on Thurlow Gardens, near Hainault Tube station in north-east London

• Five people were injured in the subsequent attack, including 14-year-old Daniel Anjorin, who died of his injuries, and two men aged 33 and 35, as well as two police officers
• In their latest update, police say the 33-year-old was struck when the suspect crashed his van into the property in Laing Close - he was then attacked by the suspect and suffered a wound to his neck
• The 35-year-old suffered lacerations to his arm when he was attacked inside a nearby property
• The suspect then went on to attack Daniel who was on his way to school - Bancroft's in nearby Woodford Green

• A 36-year-old man with a sword was arrested at the scene and, having spent time in hospital for injuries sustained in the crash, is now in police custody
• The incident was not terror-related, police have said, and they aren't looking for any other suspects

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The Jubilee Church London, in Enfield, has published a statement on its website sharing the news of Daniel Anjorin's "sudden and tragic death", to their congregation.

Daniel was a member of the church, according to the statement.

It called "on all members of our church family and beyond to pray for the family at this sad time" and said it is providing pastoral support as needed.

"We are trusting that the comfort, peace and strength of God be upon all the family at this time."

The Met says it is aware of speculation about previous police contact with the suspect.

Yesterday, Assistant Commissioner Louisa Rolfe confirmed that the police had no record of previous contact with the suspect.

In today's statement, the Met says that "urgent checks" of their systems so far have found "no trace" of a prior incident - but they are working "to be absolutely certain".

The Met Police statement gives more details about those injured in yesterday's attack in Hainault.

They say a 33-year-old man was struck when the suspect "crashed his van into the property in Laing Close". The same man was then attacked by the suspect and suffered a wound to his neck.

Another man, aged 35, "suffered lacerations to his arm when he was attacked inside a nearby property".

After attacking the two men in their 30s, "the suspect then went on to attack Daniel Anjorin", the Met adds.

As we've been reporting, the 14-year-old boy killed in yesterday's sword attack has been named locally as Daniel Anjorin.

Four others, including two police officers, were injured in the attack in Hainault, north-east London.

PA MediaCopyright: PA Media

PA MediaCopyright: PA Media

PA MediaCopyright: PA Media

BBCCopyright: BBC

Lynne Cullens, the Bishop of Barking, was at St Paul's Church in Hainault last night with Vicar Sarah Clarke-Moisley, where they opened the doors for the local community.

Speaking to BBC Radio London, she says some locals visited the church to speak to neighbours and pray for the victims of the attack.

"I think there’s a terrible sense of helplessness in the wake of such tragic, shocking events. Whole communities are traumatised," she says.

She adds that in the wake of tragic events like this, "good people come together and they help, they help heal others and they put communities back together".

The BBC has seen a copy of a statement sent by the head of Bancroft's School, Simon Marshall, to parents. In it, Marshall writes that Daniel was a "much-loved" member of the school.

"I had been intending to write to you once the news has become public, but I understand that many within our community may already be aware of events yesterday," the statement says.

"It is therefore with great sadness and shock that I am writing to inform you of the tragic death of Daniel Anjorin, one of our pupils.

"Our thoughts and prayers at this moment are with Daniel’s family and friends.

"More details will be forthcoming over the coming hours and days, but for now, our focus is on supporting the members of our community and particularly those who knew Daniel well."

The statement adds that "it seems scarcely believable that less than a year on from the terrible death of Grace O’Malley-Kumar in the Nottingham attacks we are facing fresh sorrow".

PA MediaCopyright: PA Media

Before the BBC published Daniel Anjorin's name, one of his friends - Cyan Thompson, 19 - spoke to our team on the ground.

Cyan used to play football locally with Daniel at least three times a week.

"He was a great footballer... like a young Messi in his prime days, I'll be honest," Cyan says.

Watching him "made me think I wanted to play football more, the way he would play", he adds.

"This is a tragedy, I can't lie."

For those just joining us this afternoon, here's what we've learned today about yesterday's knife attack in Hainault, in which a 36-year-old man was arrested on suspicion of murder:

• Daniel Anjorin, 14, has been named locally as the boy who died in hospital after he was stabbed during the attack
• It's understood that he attended Bancroft's School in Woodford Green - where Nottingham knife attack victim Grace O'Malley-Kumar also attended
• A flag was seen flying at half-mast at Bancroft's earlier today
• Separately, the school where Daniel's mother works has issued a statement naming her as Mrs Anjorin
• The two police officers who were injured during the attack are recovering from "really horrific injuries" - one has a "seriously damaged" arm and the other has an injured hand, according to Met Chief Sir Mark Rowley