Naked Man Slashes UK Churchgoers With Sword
By Kate Kelland
LONDON (Reuters) - A naked man brandishing a sword burst into a
packed London church on Sunday and attacked the congregation,
hacking off one man's finger and thumb, slashing another's neck
and wounding eight others, police said.
The man entered Saint Andrews Church in Thornton Heath, south
London and struck at worshippers as they celebrated morning
mass. After a storm of panic he was overpowered by churchgoers
and held for police, a police spokeswoman said.
One eyewitness, who was sitting next to her husband in the
congregation when the attacker slashed his neck with the sword,
described dragging her husband from his seat, fearing he would
be decapitated.
"When I saw him bleeding so heavily, I pulled him off --
otherwise he'd have cut his head off," she told Sky television.
The most seriously injured victim was a 55-year-old man whose
thumb and index finger were severed, and whose face and neck
were deeply gouged by sword strokes.
The man's finger and thumb were found in a pool of blood on the
floor of the Catholic church and rushed with him to a local
hospital. Nine other people were also taken to hospital, and
four of the injured were said to be in critical condition.
"The sword opened up a whole side of this man's face and
damaged a number of vital arteries," said surgeon Kambez
Hashemi of Mayday Hospital. "It was horrific, one doesn't
expect these sort of injuries in this day and age," he said.
Home Secretary Jack Straw offered his deep sympathy to those
injured in the attack. "It is difficult to think of anything
more shocking than having the serenity of a religious service
shattered in this way," Straw said in a statement.
The priest taking the service said he was horrified by the
attack, and hoped the culprit would find help. "I'd like to
know why anyone should do this kind of thing," he said. "If he
is a drug addict or has a grudge against God or society, well,
please God, he'll be helped."
About 500 worshippers, including 100 children, had packed the
church for a special children's morning service when the attack
occurred.
The church held a separate service on Sunday evening to pray
for the injured, their friends and relatives.
