An investigation was launched following an incident involving multiple weapons including a crossbow in Leeds this afternoon – and counter terrorism police are now leading the probe
Counter terrorism police have taken over the investigation into a crossbow incident in Leeds today which left two women seriously injured.
West Yorkshire Police rushed to Otley Road in Headingley just before 3pm today, where a man with multiple weapons injured three people in total. Officers arrested a local man and launched an investigation, but that has now been taken over by Counter Terrorism Policing North East.
A statement from counter terrorism police said a crossbow and a firearm were recovered from the scene in Otley Road after two women were seriously injured. It read: “Officers attended and located three people who had suffered injuries, two of which were women and were taken to hospital for treatment.
“The third, a 38-year-old man, has been arrested and taken to the hospital due to a self-inflicted injury. Two weapons have been recovered from the scene, which were a crossbow and a firearm.”
The statement added: “Due to the circumstances surrounding the incident, Counter Terrorism Policing North East have taken responsibility for leading the investigation with the support of West Yorkshire Police. Extensive enquiries continue to establish the full circumstances and explore any potential motivation.”
Head of Counter Terrorism Policing North East Detective Chief Superintendent James Dunkerley said: “Although our inquiries are still at a very early stage, the circumstances surrounding this incident have resulted in Counter Terrorism Policing taking the lead for this investigation. From the enquiries undertaken so far, there is no evidence to suggest anyone else was involved in the attack, and, at this time, we are not looking for anyone else in relation to the incident.”
Earlier today, West Yorkshire Police said in a statement: “Police were called to Otley Road, Leeds at 2,47pm today to reports of an ongoing serious incident involving a man seen with weapons.
“Officers attended and located three people who had suffered injuries which are at this time not being treated as life threatening.
“A male suspect was located and detained. Enquiries are in their initial stages to determine the wider circumstances of what has taken place and further updates will follow.
“A number of police scenes remain in place and ensuring public safety remains our priority.”
Locals were left terrified over the incident and restaurant worker Bethany Connelly said local businesses locked doors to keep people safe as the incident unfolded.
Describing the incident as “not normal”, she told Yorkshire Live: “It was really scary, because obviously, you don’t get this happening in Leeds. It’s not normal. You hear about this stuff in America, but not on your doorstep.
“It was really scary. We had to tell everyone at the restaurant what was happening, and we had to say ‘can you please stay indoors? We are going to lock the doors just in case.’
“We have got a back kitchen, and all of our chefs were told to come in and we stopped service for a bit. It was really quite scary.”
