A man who allegedly stabbed two people at a London subway station Saturday has been charged with attempted murder for the attack that prosecutors say was an act of terror.
Muhyadin Mire, a 29-year-old from the London suburb of Leytonstone, appeared in Westminster Magistrates’ Court Monday.
He spoke only to confirm details of his identity and said that he understood the charge before he was remanded in custody to appear at a preliminary hearing at London’s Old Bailey on Friday.
Mire was arrested Saturday night after allegedly committing an unprovoked knife attack that police say left a 56-year-old man hospitalized with serious injuries. A second person suffered a minor injury that did not require treatment, authorities said.
The Crown Prosecution Service argued that the attack constituted an act of terrorism under the UK’s Terrorism Act.
The legislation defines terrorism as the use or threat of action designed to influence the government or an international governmental organization, or intimidate the public, for the purpose of advancing a political, religious, racial or ideological cause.
The attack
Police were called Saturday evening by witnesses who said a man was stabbing people and threatening others at the Tube station in Leytonstone.
Authorities subdued the suspect with a stun gun at the scene and arrested him.
Police said in the aftermath that they were investigating the attack as an act of terror, and advised the public to “remain calm but alert and vigilant” in relation to any potential threat.