‘Knifeman’ charged with murder after man, 77, killed and two others injured in ‘random machete attack at market’
A SUSPECTED knifeman has been charged with murder after a man was killed and two others injured in an alleged random machete attack at a market.
Stalls were abandoned and shoppers ran in terror during the Remembrance Sunday rampage shortly before the two-minute silence.
Victim Hilkiah McLeggan, aged 77, suffered fatal wounds and cried as he lay dying: “I’m gone, it’s the end of my life.’’
Two other men suffered stab injuries before a hero stallholder fought off the attacker with a metal bar.
Police arrived and arrested a man in his 60s on suspicion of murder and attempted murder.
The Met police revealed on Monday that Ali Musse has been charged with one count of murder and two counts of attempted murder.
Read More UK News
Musse, aged 66, has no fixed address.
The two injured men remain in hospital and one of them is in critical condition.
Cops were called at around 10.40am on Sunday to East Street in Walworth before Hilkiah McLeggan, 77, died at the scene.
One stallholder, who comforted the fatally wounded victim, told The Sun: "There was blood everywhere. The victim shouted, ‘I am gone. It’s the end of my life’ and collapsed and died.
Most read in The Sun
Fruit stall holder Nihad Osmam, 27, said there was “chaos” in the
market, with stalls abandoned.
And a shop worker who witnessed the fatal attack said the knifeman was tackled to the ground by brave market traders shortly after the third person was targeted.
Wasim Hussain said: "They just put him down, and they waited for the police.
"It was the general public - they work in the market, most of them."
Before the charges were confirmed, Scotland Yard said: "Nobody else is sought and the incident is not being treated as terrorism."
Chief Superintendent Seb Adjei-Addoh, of Southwark's Met police department, thanked civilians who helped police during the "horrific" incident.
He said: "There will be an increased policing presence in the Walworth area as we work alongside our partners to provide reassurance to local people and small businesses operating in East Street.
"Lastly, we are aware of posts circulating on social media, implying that this was a terrorist incident. Our inquiries indicate this is not the case and we ask the public not to speculate."
Horrified witnesses at the East Street Market spoke out following the triple stabbing.
One told MyLondon: "When I arrived, the cordon was already in place, and everyone who visits the market regularly, including my partner and me, couldn't believe what had happened.
"It's a very busy market, especially on weekends. I know stabbings happen every day in London but experiencing it close to home is frightening."
A market worker added: "I was working here at the market I saw a person coming down the road, he had a knife.
READ MORE SUN STORIES
"It makes me scared working in the area, nothing like this has happened before."
While another said: "There were two ambulances with flashing lights taking two people away."
