Police have seized “a number of knives” after a British army officer in uniform was stabbed near barracks in Kent.
Witnesses described hearing screams as the man in his 40s was repeatedly stabbed near his home in Gillingham just before 6pm on Tuesday by a masked attacker who fled the scene on a moped.
A 24-year-old man was arrested on suspicion of attempted murder about 2 miles away in Rochester at 6.30pm, Kent police said. The attack is not thought to be terrorism-related and the suspect may have mental health problems, the force added.
Doorbell camera footage from a house captured the moment after the soldier was stabbed in Sally Port Gardens, near Brompton Barracks, the headquarters of the army’s 1 Royal School of Military Engineering Regiment.
A woman can be heard screaming: “What are you doing? What the fuck are you doing?” in the 21-second clip.
Alex Reynolds, who lives opposite the scene, said the screaming “sounded like it was from the depths of her body, really piercing and quite harrowing and chilling”. He left his home to find the uniformed soldier with a “trail of blood” coming from his body.
“We thought it was a scuffle at first but we could hear the piercing screaming,” he said. “I walked out on to the corner a minute and a half after. There were already 10 or so people around the body. We presumed he had already passed away because the body was so still. He was in a full, creamy camouflage uniform and he was the only person at the scene wearing a military uniform.
“It happened just outside the gate of his housing. There was a trail of blood around the soldier.”
His partner, Natasha Reynolds, added: “A colleague of his told us he comes back from work around six, so he was on his way back from work. We heard screaming … I assume it was the wife of the [victim] that was screaming.”
A witness also described hearing the officer’s wife saying that her husband had been stabbed and asking if a first aider was present, while another said the woman had tried to pull the attacker away.
One witness said she was sitting down to dinner with her family when they heard a “huge scream”. “It’s very, very scary,” she said.
The head of the army, Gen Sir Roly Walker, described the stabbing as “horrific and unprovoked”, while the prime minister, Keir Starmer, said he was “shocked and appalled”.
In an update on Wednesday, Kent police said the serviceman, who was airlifted to hospital, was in a serious but stable condition.
Kent police said cordons had been set up at the scene of the incident and the scene of the arrest, and that a number of knives had been seized from both locations.
Acting Ch Supt Richard Woolley said: “This was an upsetting incident for all concerned and our best wishes go to the victim, his family and those who witnessed the incident.
“Residents will experience an increased police presence in the Gillingham area, and I would like to reassure everyone that officers responded quickly to take a man into custody and we do not currently believe anyone else was involved.”
Woolley said police were exploring a number of lines of inquiry. “These include the possibility this incident was mental health-related, as well as any links the suspect may have with the location of the assault,” he said. “The investigation has been supported throughout by counter terrorism policing south east as we work to establish the full circumstances …
“It remains the case that we do not currently believe anyone else was involved and there is no further information at this time to suggest any wider threats to the local community, including members of the armed forces.” The force said on Wednesday evening that “as he has now been in custody for more than 24 hours, an extension has been granted that gives officers more time to conduct inquiries into the circumstances surrounding the incident”.
The police said earlier that the alleged attacker reportedly left the scene on a motorcycle before he was arrested on Mooring Road, Rochester, about 30 minutes later. One resident, who did not want to be named, said she saw the suspect in handcuffs and that he appeared “calm, collected” and there were no signs of struggle.
An army spokesperson said they were “very sorry to confirm that a soldier has sustained serious injuries in an attack”.
“Our thoughts are with the soldier and their family and we request that their privacy is respected at this difficult time. We will continue to work closely with Kent police to understand what happened and support the investigation. Anyone who witnessed the attack or who has any relevant information should contact Kent police.”