The man who killed a teenager with a saber in London on Tuesday appeared briefly on Thursday before being remanded in custody. The 36-year-old, who has dual Spanish and Brazilian nationality, was charged with murder, attempted murder and wounding. Armed with a saber, he injured four people in the space of 22 minutes and killed a 14-year-old schoolboy who was on his way to school on Tuesday morning in east London.
New details emerged Thursday revealing the brutality of the attack. The suspect, who only confirmed his name in court, is accused of running behind Daniel Anjorin and slitting his neck, before stabbing him in the chest as he fell to the ground. A neighbor said she tried to alert the teenager, but he did not hear her.
“The man approached me first but I was able to run away when he brandished his sword. We shouted and waved at Daniel when he arrived but he had his headphones on and couldn’t hear us. It happened in front of our eyes, it was horrible,” said Aiste Dabasinskaite. The schoolboy, described as a studious student and a kind friend by the Bancroft’s school he attended, died shortly after being taken to hospital. “No family should have to go through what we are going through,” his loved ones said in a statement.
Before this horrific murder, the attacker broke into a neighboring house where a couple and their four-year-old daughter were sleeping. He entered the room and attacked the child’s father, shouting that he believed in God, and injuring him in the neck and arm. Henry De Los Rios Polania, 35, is currently in critical condition, his sister told the Daily Mail.
Jessica De Los Rios says her brother took every risk to save his wife and daughter, acting as a shield to preserve them. “He is our hero. He protected them. They were just sleeping and found themselves facing a man armed with a sword when they opened their eyes,” she explains. According to Jessica, the little family is so traumatized by this attack that they will certainly never return to their home.
Furthermore, two police officers were seriously injured while trying to arrest him. A policewoman had to have surgery on her hand.
