U.K. Counterterrorism Police Investigate After Crossbow Attack Injures 2 Women

Counterterrorism police in Britain are investigating an attack on Saturday that “seriously injured” two women in the northern English city of Leeds. The police said that they had recovered a crossbow and a firearm.

The police arrested a 38-year-old man, who was taken to the hospital with what they called a “self-inflicted injury.”

They said they were not looking for anyone else in connection with the attack, which happened on Saturday afternoon, and that the motive for the violence remained under investigation.

“Clearly this has been a shocking incident,” said Carl Galvin, an assistant chief constable with the West Yorkshire Police, the force that led the initial police operation. He thanked civilians and emergency responders for helping the victims.

“We would strongly urge people not to speculate online or share information or footage which could affect the active investigation,” he added.

The incident comes amid debates about violence and terrorism in Britain, which is still reckoning with the killing of three young girls last July in Southport, in northwest England. The knife attack last year set off rioting, which was inflamed by disinformation and far-right agitators.

Knife crime is more common than crossbow attacks in Britain, but the use of the weapon is not without precedent in the country. Last July, a man with a crossbow killed three women in London — his ex-partner, who had recently ended their relationship, as well as her sister and their mother.

A separate crossbow attack, which the police said resulted in non-life-threatening injuries, was reported in London in March last year.