Police have launched a manhunt and schools have been shut down after a woman was stabbed in the small Welsh village of Aberfan on Tuesday morning.
UPDATE 1830: In a press conference, local police have claimed that the stabbing of a pregnant woman in Aberfan is believed to have been a “targeted attack”, indicating that it was unlikely to have been a random terror-inspired attack. Therefore, schools will re-open in the area tomorrow. According to Chief Inspector Rob Miles, the 28-year-old man who was arrested in connection to the stabbing was “known” to the woman victim.
“I appreciate that there will be a real sense of shock within the local community with the attack having happened in broad daylight… I would like to reassurance the public that we believe this to be a targeted attack,” Miles said per Wales Online.
“There will be an increased police presence in the area over the coming days to provide reassurance to local residents and the wider community. I would like to thank the local community for their patience and support throughout today’s police operation whilst we traced and arrested the suspect.”
UPDATE 1700: After hours of a manhunt around Aberfan, police have announced the arrest of the suspected perpetrator of the stabbing of a pregnant woman outside of a local school. A spokesman for South Wales Police said: “Following a report that a 29-year-old woman had been stabbed on Moy Road, Aberfan, Merthyr earlier this morning, officers have arrested a 28-year-old man from Merthyr on suspicion of attempt murder. He is currently in police custody.” The police have yet to disclose the identity of the suspect.
UPDATE 1400: According to local residents, the female stabbing victim outside a school in Aberfan, Wales is “heavily pregnant”. A local mother told the news outlet Wales Online: “We heard that all hell broke loose. She is heavily pregnant, maybe seven or eight months and she was taking one of her kids to school. There are police everywhere and we heard the guy got away.”
The original story continues as follows…
South Wales Police have urged citizens to avoid the area as they search for a knifeman who attacked a 29-year-old woman near the Ynysowen Nursery School in Aberfan. Schools in the area have been put on lockdown protocols and shut down out of precaution to keep local children safe while the attacker remains at large.
In a statement, the police force said: “South Wales Police were called just before 9.10 am this morning with a report that a 29-year-old woman had been stabbed on Moy Road, Aberfan, Merthyr. The suspect left the scene immediately after the incident and enquiries are ongoing to find him.
#UPDATE | South Wales Police were called just before 9.10am this morning with a report that a 29-year-old woman had been stabbed on Moy Road, #Aberfan, #Merthyr.
The suspect left the scene immediately after the incident and enquiries are ongoing to find him. pic.twitter.com/6a4Z7DSb3W
— South Wales Police (@swpolice) December 5, 2023
“A search of the immediate area is being carried out by armed officers. Local schools have activated their lockdown protocols to keep pupils safe whilst the incident is ongoing. We continue to request that people avoid the area so that we can effectively deal with this incident,” the South Wales Police continued.
“The woman has been taken to hospital with injuries which are not believed to be life-threatening at this time,” the force said.
Gerald Jones, the Member of Parliament for the area said in a statement per Wales Online: “I have spoken to police regarding a serious incident in Aberfan this morning. You may see an increased police presence in the area and I’d encourage everyone to co-operate with police officers as they deal with the incident.”
This story is developing, more to follow…
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