A soldier is in hospital with serious injuries after a horrific knife attack near an Army Barracks in Kent.
Police said they were called around 5.55pm on Tuesday to a report of a serious assault in Sally Port Gardens, Gillingham.
The victim, in his 40s, suffered injuries consistent with stab wounds and was airlifted to hospital for treatment.
A witness told The Sun that a man armed with two kitchen knives leapt off a moped and attacked the soldier in a frenzied assault.
The witness said the victim managed to stagger away but was chased down by the assailant, said to be wearing a ski mask and a NASA bomber jacket, who then attacked him a second time.
Another eyewitness said the soldier was wearing military uniform, and had been walking home with his partner, who tried in vain to pull the attacker away.
BREAKING: Forensics and army personnel are at the scene of a serious incident in Sally Port, near Brompton Barracks, Chatham. A crime scene has been set up on the footpath outside military accommodation. It is understood a soldier has been airlifted to hospital. pic.twitter.com/Mxat5dZSQm
— Brad Harper (@BradDAHarper) July 23, 2024
“The attacker was going for him and stabbed him about 12 times," the onlooker told KentOnline.
“There were about seven of us there who witnessed it. The soldier was in uniform.
“His wife tried to pull the attacker off. [The attacker] didn’t want her though, he just wanted the soldier.
“Nobody else in the vicinity was in danger. The only person he was targeting was the soldier he attacked."
According to The Sun, witnesses described hearing a “blood-curdling scream” as the assault took place.
A bystander reportedly saw the attacker run his finger across the knife and lick it in front of shocked witnesses.
Machete attack on a British solider in Gillingham pic.twitter.com/U124HIcXfV
— Teta’sTrickyReds 🇬🇧🏴 (@gooner_kent) July 23, 2024
The soldier was said by the witness, who rushed to his aid, to have been left with “wounds all over his body.”
Kent Police said a 24-year-old man was arrested on suspicion of attempted murder at 6.20pm.
The road where police said the incident occurred is located near to Brompton Barracks, the headquarters of the British Army’s 1 Royal School of Military Engineering Regiment.
An Army spokesperson said they were “very sorry to confirm that a soldier has sustained serious injuries in an attack”.
“Our thoughts are with the soldier and their family and we request that their privacy is respected at this difficult time,” they added.
“We will continue to work closely with Kent Police to understand what happened and support the investigation.
“Anyone who witnessed the attack or who has any relevant information should contact Kent Police.”
A cordon is in place at the scene and an ongoing police presence will be in the area while enquiries continue.
The stabbing was described as “shocking” by Defence Secretary John Healey.
“On behalf of the Government, I wish him a swift recovery,” he said on Wednesday.
The attack has chilling echoes of the murder of Fusilier Lee Rigby in Woolwich in 2013.
Michael Adebolajo and Michael Adebowale drove into Fusilier Rigby with a car before hacking him to death in broad daylight.
Adebolajo was given a whole-life term while Adebowale was jailed for a minimum of 45 years.
