Detectives have arrested a man on suspicion of murder after a woman in her 60s was stabbed to death in broad daylight in a north London street.
The Metropolitan police said they were called at about 11.50am to Burnt Oak Broadway, Edgware, to reports of a stabbing and found a woman wounded in the street near a bus stop.
Officers, paramedics from the ambulance service and then a specialist trauma team from the London air ambulance tried to save the woman, but she died at the scene.
Police said a man, 22, was arrested hours later and taken into custody.
The area of the attack, at Burnt Oak Broadway, close to the junction of Limesdale Gardens, remains cordoned off while forensic examinations are completed.
Witnesses told Metro the woman was stabbed several times and the attacker was chased by members of the public, with one reportedly claiming the woman was stabbed during a mugging.
Det Supt Tony Bellis, who leads policing in Edgware, said of the arrest: “This is a significant development in this investigation and comes as a result of fast-time work from specialist detectives working alongside local officers.
“The investigation remains in its early stages, and we continue to work to establish why this incident took place, including whether the person responsible was known to the woman who died. I would urge people to refrain from speculating about the circumstances while this work is ongoing.
“A family has been left devastated by this shocking attack and my thoughts are with them at this unimaginably difficult time.”
The Met said anyone with information should call 101 or contact them on X at @MetCC and quote CAD3105/9May.
The anonymous phone line Crimestoppers can be contacted on 0800 555 111.