Man stabbed at UK Home Office in London

A man sustained knife injuries and another was arrested near the British Home Office building on Thursday, London police said. A Reuters photographer saw a man with facial injuries being led from the building.

Officers initially said the man's injuries were "treated as life-threatening," but later clarified the victim's life was not in danger.

"One man has been arrested on suspicion of grievous bodily harm and taken to a police station." 

Police described the victim as being in his 60s and said the suspected attacker was 29 years old.

The London site serves as the headquarters for the UK interior ministry. Unconfirmed reports said the older man entered the building to ask for help after he was attacked. The building was then placed on lockdown.

There was no indication that the incident was related to terrorism, authorities said, adding that enquiries were "ongoing."

"We are keeping an open mind about any possible motive at this early stage," they said.

Read more: One person killed, five wounded in London knife attack

Armed police officers have cordoned off the area, according to local media reports. 

Home Secretary Priti Patel described the attack as "horrific" and "unprovoked" on Twitter.

The apparent knife attack comes only a day after the UK launched a controversial campaign to curb knife crime.

During a live conference on Facebook on Wednesday, Prime Minister Boris Johnson had pledged to tackle the "scourge" of such attacks. The authorities have noted 43,516 knife crimes for England and Wales in the year ending in March 2019. This marks an 80% increase since March 2014.

dj/aw (Reuters, AFP, dpa)

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