The 26-year-old was arrested in a cemetery in the north London district of Enfield, police said. The man is being treated for injuries. According to police, he did not sustain them during the arrest. According to media reports, he was the ex-boyfriend of one of the daughters.
The three women were found seriously injured in Bushey, north of London, on Tuesday evening and died at the scene shortly followingwards. According to the British news agency PA, they were a 61-year-old woman and her daughters, aged 25 and 28. The police assumed it was a targeted attack and were looking for the 26-year-old.
Targeted attack with crossbow
A neighbor told reporters that it was a “nice family.” “What happened is really sad, very shocking,” she added. Police spokesman Jon Simpson spoke of a “terrible incident in which, according to current information, a crossbow was used.” It is possible that the man used other weapons in what police say was a targeted attack on the three women.
“Truly shocking” act
Home Secretary Yvette Cooper spoke of a “truly shocking” act. In March, a 47-year-old man was arrested in connection with two crossbow attacks in London in which two people were injured.
A case in 2021 attracted particular attention when a man armed with a crossbow entered the grounds of Windsor Castle and attempted to kill the now deceased Queen Elizabeth II. The mentally ill man confessed to the crime and was sentenced to prison last year.
You do not need a license to own a crossbow in the UK. However, carrying these weapons in public is prohibited without a valid reason.
This article was updated at 20:52.
