A British soldier was stabbed up to 12 times with a 10inch knife in broad daylight as he went for an evening walk in his uniform – by a man who allegedly licked the serviceman’s blood from his knife in front of horrified witnesses.
The victim, in his 40s, was attacked at around 6pm on Tuesday evening around 200 yards from Brompton Barracks in Gillingham, Kent. Witnesses say he was assaulted by a man in a ski mask wearing a NASA bomber jacket who arrived on a moped.
The attacker was reportedly armed with two 10inch kitchen knives and stabbed the man repeatedly – the air filled with a ‘blood-curdling scream’. After the assault, the soldier attempted to stagger back to his house despite his injuries.
But the attacker is alleged to have pursued him to carry out a second attack and was only stopped when the soldier’s wife intervened. She was not harmed as she begged for help; witnesses say the assailant was focused on ‘attacking a British soldier’.
Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer said he was ‘shocked and appalled’ by the attack.
Police remain on the scene this morning (pictured) following the savage attack on a British serviceman
A photo appearing to show the alleged perpetrator of last night’s attack shows a man next to a red moped while wearing a ski mask and a NASA bomber jacket
A cordon remains in place following the broad daylight attack, which involved a serving British soldier
A man in uniform stands at the cordon in Gillingham this morning. Witnesses say the victim was in military dress when he was attacked
Police officers behind the cordon in Gillingham, Kent this morning after the incident
Behind the police cordon on Sally Port Gardens medical gear could be seen lying on the floor after emergency services rushed to the scene
A police officer wearing white forensics overalls kneels next to a helmet and a moped after the stabbing
The incident took place in Sally Port Gardens, close to Brompton Barracks in Gillingham
Prime minister Sir Keir Starmer said he was ‘shocked and appalled’ by the incident and wished the soldier a swift recovery
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He wrote on X: ‘I am shocked and appalled by the news that a soldier has been attacked in Kent. All our thoughts are with the soldier, his family and our Armed Forces community, who serve to keep all of us safe. I wish him a swift recovery.’Â
Chief of General Staff, General Sir Roly Walker, has said he is ‘deeply saddened’ by the ‘horrific’ and ‘unprovoked’ assault while shadow home secretary James Cleverly expressed his gratitude to police for their ‘swift action (in) arresting the suspect’.
Police have arrested a 24-year-old man on suspicion of attempted murder. They are yet to rule out terrorism as a motive.Â
Ministry of Defence sources say it is too soon to deduce any intentions lying behind the attack.
However, the attack has echoes of the 2013 murder of Fusilier Lee Rigby, who was stabbed to death by two Islamist jihadi terrorists as he left his barracks in south London.
Michael Adebolajo and Michael Adebowale were arrested and later found guilty of Rigby’s murder.
Horrified onlookers had been alerted to the attack after hearing screams on Sally Port Gardens, a quiet residential street that is believed to be home to some military families.Â
Witnesses to the Gillingham attack say the knifeman held up one of the bloodied weapons and licked it in front of terrified locals who had rushed out of their homes to help the serviceman.Â
Neighbour Alex Reynolds, 38, who works as a commodities analyst said: ‘We had my father in the house and we heard the screaming.
‘At first, we thought it was a scuffle in the street. But you could then hear the piercing shrieks of the voices and you realise that it was something much more.
‘Seconds later I walked out into the road and I can see 10 people around a body which wasn’t moving.
‘The victim was wearing military uniform as many people around here do.’
Alex added: ‘I spoke to someone who worked with him and he said he always walked out at that time of the night.
‘His wife was running around screaming asking for help. She seemed in good health considering the situation – she seemed fit enough to ask people for help.
‘She was directing traffic onto the pavement to get to her husband.’
One told KentOnline: ‘The attacker was going for him and stabbed him about 12 times.
‘This was with two kitchen knives, about nine to 10 inches long, and there were about seven of us there who witnessed it.’
A witness claimed: ‘Blood was everywhere as I tried to apply pressure to his wounds until the police arrived.
‘The guy was looking for a soldier to attack. When the guy’s wife came out and started trying to pull the guy off he didn’t even try to hurt her. He only had his sights set on hurting a British soldier,’ he added to The Sun.
Another told the Mirror the soldier had suffered grievous facial injuries as the attacker then rode off on the moped. Police were seen examining a moped and bike helmet in Mooring Road, Rochester – 10 minutes’ drive from the scene of the attack.
A man wearing Army uniform talks on the phone next to the police cordon in Gillingham on Tuesday evening
Brompton Barracks (above) in Gillingham is home to the Royal School of Military Engineering
Several vehicles remain behind the cordon today as police continue their investigation
One woman living near the scene said she was sitting down to dinner with her family when they heard a ‘huge scream’.
As they got to the window, she saw the attacker giving a final stab wound to a victim who was on the floor. She could not see if the person was wearing a military uniform.
‘It’s very, very scary’, she said.
Photos of the alleged attacker appear to show him stood next to a red moped while wearing a ski mask and a bomber jacket with the NASA logo on it.
A witness told The Sun that the solder, who is in a serious condition in hospital, received injuries to his face and the rest of his body during the frenzied attack.
Photos posted on social media show a heavy emergency services presence, with police vehicles and officers in forensics gear working behind a cordon.
An aerial view of the scene in Gillingham today as police maintain a visible presence
Police officers and paramedics stand in the road next to a police vehicle following the serious assault
A police forensics investigation van sits on the pavement close to the cordon following the attack
A police car sits parked in the middle of the road beyond a police cordon in Sally Port Gardens on Tuesday evening
An air ambulance was seen landing in Great Lines Heritage Park, which lies next to the scene of the incident.
Brompton Barracks is the home of the Royal School of Military Engineering Regiment. Many of its soldiers live adjacent to the base in army families accommodation.
Soldiers at the Army base were understood to have been forbidden from leaving until police ensured there was no further threat to personnel.
In a statement released last night following the incident in Gillingham an Army spokesperson said: ‘We’re very sorry to confirm that a soldier has sustained serious injuries in an attack in Chatham, Kent.
‘Our thoughts are with the soldier and their family and we request that their privacy is respected at this difficult time.
‘We will continue to work closely with Kent Police to understand what happened and support the investigation. Anyone who witnessed the attack or who has any relevant information should contact Kent Police.’
Earlier a spokesperson for the Ministry of Defence said: ‘We are aware of an emerging incident in the Chatham area which may have involved a soldier.
‘As the circumstances are currently under investigation by Kent Police, we cannot comment further.’
A spokesperson for Kent Police said: ‘Kent Police was called at around 5.55pm on Tuesday 23 July 2024 to a report of a serious assault in Sally Port Gardens, Gillingham.
‘A man in his 40s suffered injuries consistent with stab wounds and was taken to hospital for treatment. His condition is currently described as serious.
‘Officers attended and at around 6.20pm they arrested a 24-year-old man on suspicion of attempted murder.
‘A cordon is currently in place around the scene of the incident and enquiries to establish the circumstances are ongoing.
‘Residents are advised to expect an ongoing police presence in the area.’
MailOnline has contacted South East Coast Ambulance Service for further information.
A police officer wearing white and blue forensics gear walks down Sally Port Gardens as Kent Police investigate the incident
The incident took place in Sally Port Gardens (pictured), which lies less than 200 metres from Brompton Barracks
The incident has brought back horrific memories of the murder of Fusiliar Lee Rigby (pictured) who was killed by two Islamic terrorists. The motive for the attack in Gillingham has not yet been established
The attack brings back memories of the horrific murder of Fusilier Lee Rigby who was brutally hacked to death by two Islamic terrorists May 2013.
The father-of-one had been wearing a ‘Help for Heroes’ hoodie while walking in Woolwich off-duty when he was attacked by Michael Adebolajo and Michael Adebowale.
The 25-year-old was first run over by a car at up to 40mph before Adebolajo and Adebowale slashed at him with knifes and a cleaver and attempted to behead him.
The immediate aftermath of the vile attack was caught on camera by bystanders, with Rigby’s attackers – both of whom had converted to Islam from Christianity -proudly claiming they were getting revenge for Muslims killed by the British Army.
The pair were subdued by armed police after they attempted to charge at officers with weapons.
Adebolajo would later be given a whole-life tariff for the murder while Adebowale would be given a minimum term of 45 years.
