Man stabs three at Manchester's Victoria station

Manchester [UK], Jan 1 (ANI): A knife-wielding man stabbed three people at the Victoria station here on Monday night (local time), including a law enforcement official.

"Officers are attending Manchester Victoria station following reports of a man wielding a knife...A man and a woman have been taken to hospital with knife injuries. A BTP officer is also receiving treatment for a stab wound to the shoulder," the British Transport Police (BTP) underscored in an official release.

The man has since been detained while the BTP remain at the scene along with the Greater Manchester (GM) Police and the North West Ambulance Service.

The identity of those injured has not been revealed yet. The intent behind the attack is also yet to be ascertained.

"At around 8.50pm on Monday 31 December 2018, officers from British Transport Police were called to Manchester Victoria station to reports of a man with a knife," GM Police stated in a release.

The injured woman and man - both in their 50's - have been taken to hospital with knife injuries. The woman has injuries to her face and abdomen while the man has injuries to his abdomen. The BTP officer is also receiving treatment for a stab wound to his shoulder. Even though the injuries are serious, they are not believed to be life-threatening.

"While we don't yet know the full circumstances and are keeping an open mind, officers from Counter Terrorism Policing North West are leading on the investigation," GM Police's Assistant Chief Constable, Rob Potts, said with regard to investigations into the stabbing incident.

He further noted, "This is to make sure we have all the expertise available to us and progress our investigation as soon as we possibly can. There will be closures in place at the station for some time and officers will be in the area throughout the night."

Potts has stated that there is no wider threat at the moment, while tram services have been disrupted due to the incident.