Police have arrested one man under terrorism charges after a woman was stabbed ahead of the Cheltenham Festival in England.
A 29-year-old man has been arrested by police under terrorism charges after the stabbing of a woman at the Leisure at Cheltenham Centre in England on Thursday.
The stabbing comes mere days before the town is due to host the Cheltenham Festival — one of the most important horse racing events in the world — with the site of the stabbing being mere minutes away from the event venue.
According to a report by the BBC, police originally arrested the 29-year-old on the charge of attempted murder, before re-arresting him on Friday under British terrorism laws.
It is understood that the man is suspected by law enforcement of the commission, preparation or instigation of terrorism, as well as preparing acts of terrorism.
The single victim is meanwhile said to have sustained serious injuries, though is reported as remaining in a stable condition in hospital.
No reports have so far indicated the name or nationality of the man arrested, nor that of the injured woman.
Despite the proximity of the attack in both time and location to the Cheltenham festival — which is due to begin on Tuesday — law enforcement has insisted that they believe the stabbing to be an isolated incident, and that there is little danger to the general public.
“I would like to reassure those living locally or visiting the county that we believe this was an isolated incident and we are not aware of any wider threat to members of the public,” Assistant Chief Constable of Gloucestershire Police, Richard Ocone, reportedly remarked.
“We are working closely with our partners in Counter Terrorism Policing,” he went on to add.
Meanwhile, the leisure centre near the scene of the incident reportedly remains closed, with the business posting on its social media on Saturday that it will update its customers as to when it can reopen “as soon as this is available”.