LONDON: Police made an arrest on Saturday following a "serious incident" in the northern English city of Barnsley that left one man with stab injuries.
Traders at a local covered market said they and parts of the town centre were locked down over the incident, sparked by reports of an individual with a knife.
South Yorkshire Police initially reported on Twitter that it was responding to a "serious incident".
In a later statement it said: Officers were called at around 8:20 am (0720 GMT) "following reports that a man had been stabbed in Barnsley town centre".
"Police then received numerous further reports of an individual in the town centre with a knife," it said.
"One person has been arrested in connection with the incident and is in police custody.
"One man suffered minor injuries. No other injuries have been reported at this time."
It said several crime scenes had been established and there would be a highly-visible police presence until police had established what happened.
"An investigation is now underway and in its early stages to establish whether this is an isolated incident and whether the individual acted alone," it added.
Earlier the Facebook page of Barnsley Mayday Green Market reported that "this market and most of the town centre is in lockdown", before later declaring it had received the all-clear.
Contacted by AFP, they said they had no more information, other than "second-hand reports" that there may have been more than one person with a knife.
Britain is on high alert after a string of terror attacks, including by individuals brandishing knives.
British police make arrest after stabbing in English town of Barnsley
British police make arrest after stabbing in English town of Barnsley
- Police said that one person has been arrested in connection with the incident and is in custody.
- Traders at a local covered market said they and parts of the town centre were locked down over the incident.
UN chief calls on Israel to reverse NGOs ban in Gaza
- In November, authorities in Gaza said more than 70,000 people had been killed there since the war broke out
- Israel on Thursday suspended 37 foreign humanitarian organizations from accessing the Gaza Strip after they had refused to share lists of their Palestinian employees with government officials
UNITED NATIONS, United States: UN Secretary General Antonio Guterres called on Friday for Israel to end a ban on humanitarian agencies that provided aid in Gaza, saying he was “deeply concerned” at the development.
Guterres “calls for this measure to be reversed, stressing that international non-governmental organizations are indispensable to life-saving humanitarian work and that the suspension risks undermining the fragile progress made during the ceasefire,” his spokesperson Stephane Dujarric said in a statement.
“This recent action will further exacerbate the humanitarian crisis facing Palestinians,” he added.
Israel on Thursday suspended 37 foreign humanitarian organizations from accessing the Gaza Strip after they had refused to share lists of their Palestinian employees with government officials.
The ban includes Doctors Without Borders (MSF), which has 1,200 staff members in the Palestinian territories — the majority of whom are in Gaza.
NGOs included in the ban have been ordered to cease their operations by March 1.
Several NGOS have said the requirements contravene international humanitarian law or endanger their independence.
Israel says the new regulation aims to prevent bodies it accuses of supporting terrorism from operating in the Palestinian territories.
On Thursday, 18 Israel-based left-wing NGOs denounced the decision to ban their international peers, saying “the new registration framework violates core humanitarian principles of independence and neutrality.”
A fragile ceasefire has been in place since October, following a deadly war waged by Israel in response to Hamas’s unprecedented October 7, 2023, attack on Israel.
In November, authorities in Gaza said more than 70,000 people had been killed there since the war broke out.
Nearly 80 percent of buildings in Gaza have been destroyed or damaged by the war, according to UN data, leaving infrastructure decimated.
About 1.5 million of Gaza’s more than two million residents have lost their homes, said Amjad Al-Shawa, director of the Palestinian NGO Network in Gaza.
