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.
US border agent shoots and wounds two people in Portland
- The Portland shooting unfolded Thursday afternoon as US Border Patrol agents were conducting a targeted vehicle stop, the Department of Homeland Security said in a statement
A US immigration agent shot and wounded a man and a woman in Portland, Oregon, authorities said on Thursday, leading local officials to call for calm given public outrage over the ICE shooting death of a Minnesota woman a day earlier.
“We understand the heightened emotion and tension many are feeling in the wake of the shooting in Minneapolis, but I am asking the community to remain calm as we work to learn more,” Portland police chief Bob Day said in a statement.
The Portland shooting unfolded Thursday afternoon as US Border Patrol agents were conducting a targeted vehicle stop, the Department of Homeland Security said in a statement.
The statement said the driver, a suspected Venezuelan gang member, attempted to “weaponize” his vehicle and run over the agents. In response, DHS said, “an agent fired a defensive shot” and the driver and a passenger drove away.
Reuters was unable to independently verify the circumstances of the incident.
Portland police said that the shooting took place near a medical clinic in eastern Portland. Six minutes after arriving at the scene and determining federal agents were involved in the shooting, police were informed that two people with gunshot wounds — a man and a woman — were asking for help at a location about 2 miles (3 km) to the northeast of the medical clinic.
Police said they applied tourniquets to the man and woman, who were taken to a hospital. Their condition was unknown.
The shooting came just a day after a federal agent from US Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE), a separate agency within the Department of Homeland Security, fatally shot a 37-year-old mother of three in her car in Minneapolis.
That shooting has prompted two days of protests in Minneapolis. Officers from both ICE and Border Patrol have been deployed in cities across the United States as part of Republican President Donald Trump’s immigration crackdown.
While the aggressive enforcement operations have been cheered by the president’s supporters, Democrats and civil rights activists have decried the posture as an unnecessary provocation.
US officials contend criminal suspects and anti-Trump activists have increasingly used their cars as weapons, though video evidence has sometimes contradicted their claims.
Portland Mayor Keith Wilson said in a statement his city was now grappling with violence at the hands of federal agents and that “we cannot sit by while constitutional protections erode and bloodshed mounts.”
He called on ICE to halt all its operations in the city until an investigation can be completed.
“Federal militarization undermines effective, community-based public safety, and it runs counter to the values that define our region,” Wilson said. “I will use every legal and legislative tool available to protect our residents’ civil and human rights.”
