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| London beheading was not terrorism, insist police | London beheading was not terrorism, insist police |
| (35 minutes later) | |
| Detectives tried to establish on Friday what drove a man to allegedly go on a rampage and behead an 82-year-old woman in her garden on Thursday, while a monitoring group said the incident had already led to a spike in threats to Muslims and mosques. | Detectives tried to establish on Friday what drove a man to allegedly go on a rampage and behead an 82-year-old woman in her garden on Thursday, while a monitoring group said the incident had already led to a spike in threats to Muslims and mosques. |
| Nicholas Salvador, 25, has been charged with the murder of Palmira Silva who was beheaded in her back garden in Edmonton, north London. He also charged with assault on a police officer and will appear in custody on Saturday 6 September at Highbury Corner magistrates court. | Nicholas Salvador, 25, has been charged with the murder of Palmira Silva who was beheaded in her back garden in Edmonton, north London. He also charged with assault on a police officer and will appear in custody on Saturday 6 September at Highbury Corner magistrates court. |
| Salvador is under guard in hospital after being subdued by police, who used a Taser. | Salvador is under guard in hospital after being subdued by police, who used a Taser. |
| The incident caused panic in the area as the man allegedly attempted to attack at least two other people, while armed with a machete. According to residents, he was heard muttering about cats, and is said to have attacked some that day. | The incident caused panic in the area as the man allegedly attempted to attack at least two other people, while armed with a machete. According to residents, he was heard muttering about cats, and is said to have attacked some that day. |
| Police insisted that the alleged murder of Silva was not connected to terrorism, but a group monitoring threats against British Muslims said it saw a rise in reports within hours of the news breaking. Fiyaz Mughal, director of Tell Mama, said the incidents included threats in the street to women wearing the hijab in Wales and south London, and threats on social media. | Police insisted that the alleged murder of Silva was not connected to terrorism, but a group monitoring threats against British Muslims said it saw a rise in reports within hours of the news breaking. Fiyaz Mughal, director of Tell Mama, said the incidents included threats in the street to women wearing the hijab in Wales and south London, and threats on social media. |
| Mughal said of special concern was that the threats had changed to naming specific targets, including a mosque. | Mughal said of special concern was that the threats had changed to naming specific targets, including a mosque. |
| Mughal said: "The assumption is 'beheading equals Muslim'. The association, for some, is an automatic response." | Mughal said: "The assumption is 'beheading equals Muslim'. The association, for some, is an automatic response." |
| He said his organisation had seen three spikes in threats in a fortnight: after an official report into sexual abuse in Rotherham perpetrated by Muslim men; the release on Tuesday of a terrorist murder video showing the beheading by Islamic State (Isis) of an American hostage, and now after the alleged Edmonton attack. | He said his organisation had seen three spikes in threats in a fortnight: after an official report into sexual abuse in Rotherham perpetrated by Muslim men; the release on Tuesday of a terrorist murder video showing the beheading by Islamic State (Isis) of an American hostage, and now after the alleged Edmonton attack. |
| Mughal said the nature of many threats on social media had changed: "They are not saying 'we hate you' or 'we hate Muslims', but [are making] actual threats of attacks against Muslims and mosques." | Mughal said the nature of many threats on social media had changed: "They are not saying 'we hate you' or 'we hate Muslims', but [are making] actual threats of attacks against Muslims and mosques." |
| The nature of the alleged killing, coming 48 hours after the beheading of US journalist Steven Sotloff by Islamic State militants, led to early speculation. One newspaper report claimed the Edmonton suspect was a Muslim convert. But police stressed the lack of a terrorist connection in three separate statements. | The nature of the alleged killing, coming 48 hours after the beheading of US journalist Steven Sotloff by Islamic State militants, led to early speculation. One newspaper report claimed the Edmonton suspect was a Muslim convert. But police stressed the lack of a terrorist connection in three separate statements. |
| The investigation is being led by specialist murder detectives, not by Scotland Yard's counter-terrorism command. There was no suggestion from witnesses that the alleged attacker said anything related to religion, as happened in the 2013 murder of the soldier Lee Rigby in Woolwich, south-east London. | The investigation is being led by specialist murder detectives, not by Scotland Yard's counter-terrorism command. There was no suggestion from witnesses that the alleged attacker said anything related to religion, as happened in the 2013 murder of the soldier Lee Rigby in Woolwich, south-east London. |
| The Barnet, Enfield and Haringey mental health trust, which covers the area of the alleged attack, declined to say if Salvador was known to them. | The Barnet, Enfield and Haringey mental health trust, which covers the area of the alleged attack, declined to say if Salvador was known to them. |
| More eyewitness accounts of the incident continued to emerge, alleging that a man ran across gardens and hacked at the victim, with police smashing windows to pull people to safety and risking their lives to distract the attacker, saving others from harm. | More eyewitness accounts of the incident continued to emerge, alleging that a man ran across gardens and hacked at the victim, with police smashing windows to pull people to safety and risking their lives to distract the attacker, saving others from harm. |
| Myrvin Kirwan, a cable TV installer, said he came within feet of the alleged attacker as he was working in a house in the area: "I looked out through the glass doors into the back garden and then I saw him – bloody hands, machete, and no shirt. | Myrvin Kirwan, a cable TV installer, said he came within feet of the alleged attacker as he was working in a house in the area: "I looked out through the glass doors into the back garden and then I saw him – bloody hands, machete, and no shirt. |
| "The customer shut the door, then the police came in saying: 'Get out of the house, get out of the house.'" He said of the suspect: "He was looking through me." | "The customer shut the door, then the police came in saying: 'Get out of the house, get out of the house.'" He said of the suspect: "He was looking through me." |
| The victim worked at a nearby cafe. Lucie Fabry, 26, said: "I heard what had happened last night, then saw the paper this morning and thought 'It's the lady from the cafe'. "We all knew her as Pam. She worked there, that was her life and soul; she was always in there, bless her." | The victim worked at a nearby cafe. Lucie Fabry, 26, said: "I heard what had happened last night, then saw the paper this morning and thought 'It's the lady from the cafe'. "We all knew her as Pam. She worked there, that was her life and soul; she was always in there, bless her." |