Man arrested after two killed in central London stabbing

A man has been arrested in the UK on suspicion of murder after two men were killed in a stabbing in south-east London.

Two others were seriously injured in the attack, which happened at a business in the central district of Southwark on Monday.

A 58-year-old man was pronounced dead at the scene, the Metropolitan police said. A 27-year-old man later died from his injuries at the hospital.

The attack was not believed to be terror-related, Detective Chief Superintendent Emma Bond said.

Police did not reveal any details about the business where the crime occurred or a possible motive. None of the victims or the suspect was named.

The arrested man, who has not been named, is also in hospital but his injuries are not thought to be serious.

Knife crime, particularly among young people, is an ongoing problem across much of the UK.

The latest data published by the Office for National Statistics (ONS) records more than 50,000 offences involving a sharp instrument in England and Wales in the year ending March 2024, a 4.4% increase on the figures for 2022-2023.

By the end of March 2023, Home Office data shows 244 murders using a sharp instrument, including knives and broken bottles.

Those figures mean that sharp instruments were used in 41% of all homicides in England and Wales in 2022-2023.