LONDON: Two police officers were stabbed early Friday in central London and hospitalized after encountering \u201ca male with a knife,\u201d the capital\u2019s police said, amid massive security ahead of the queen\u2019s funeral.
\nA suspect who was tasered and arrested on suspicion of grievous bodily harm and assaulting an emergency worker is also in hospital following the incident at around 6:00 am (0500 GMT), the Metropolitan Police added.
\n\u201cPolice encountered a male with a knife in the area of Leicester Square,\u201d it said in a statement, referring to a square in the heart of the British capital, less than a mile from where the queen\u2019s coffin is lying in state.
\n\u201cTwo officers received stab wounds and are currently being treated in hospital. We await further updates on their conditions.\u201d
\nThe Met added officers had deployed a taser and the suspect was taken to an unspecified hospital for treatment, \u201cwhere he remains at this time.\u201d
\nThe force said \u201cenquiries into the circumstances surrounding the incident are ongoing,\u201d but the attack was not terror related.
\nIt comes amid a massive security operation in central London as Queen Elizabeth II lies in state in parliament ahead of Monday\u2019s state funeral.
\nThe first to be staged in the UK in nearly six decades, it is set to be attended by leaders and royalty from around the world.
\nThousands of police from across the country have been deployed to London, while 1,500 army personnel are on standby to help manage crowds and security, as tens of thousands of people queue to file past the late monarch\u2019s coffin.<\/p>\n
Tens of thousands of people queue to file past the late monarch\u2019s coffin. (AFP)
\nIt has been lying in state in parliament\u2019s Westminster Hall since late Wednesday, where it will remain until early Monday.
\nLondon Mayor Sadiq Khan called the attack on the officers \u201cutterly appalling.\u201d
\n\u201cThese brave officers were doing their duty and assisting the public at this momentous time for our country,\u201d he said, noting police \u201crun toward danger to protect others\u201d and \u201cwe owe them a huge debt of gratitude.\u201d
\nKhan added he was in close contact with the Met\u2019s new Commissioner Mark Rowley, who only took up the post on Monday.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
LONDON: Two police officers were stabbed early Friday in central London and hospitalized after encountering \u201ca male with a knife,\u201d the capital\u2019s police said, amid massive security ahead of the queen\u2019s funeral. A suspect who was tasered and arrested on suspicion of grievous bodily harm and assaulting an emergency worker is also in hospital following […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":283796,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[6],"tags":[],"class_list":{"0":"post-283789","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-world"},"yoast_head":"\n