UPDATE: Woman ‘beheaded’ in London backyard named as 82-year-old Palmira Silva
Palmira Silva, 82, was attacked and reportedly beheaded in the front yard of her house in Edmonton, north London. Supplied, Getty
The woman found beheaded after a knife-wielding man went on rampage through suburban north London has been named by police as Palmira Silva.
The 82-year-old’s body was found in the garden of a house in Nightingale Road in the suburb of Edmonton about 1pm (10pm last night AEST) after police responded to reports of a man armed with a knife attacking cars and cats.
She had reportedly been beheaded and police pronounced her dead when they arrived.
A 25-year-old man was arrested by police after a struggle that saw police use their Taser stun guns to subdue the man.
One officer suffered a suspected broke wrist during the arrest.
In the wake of the recent executions of American journalists Steven Sotloff and James Foley at the hands of Islamic State militants, police were quick to downplay any connections to terrorism.
In a statement, Scotland Yard said officers were not looking for any other suspects in the crime.
“This was a highly visible attack in broad daylight on a residential street," Detective Chief Inspector John Sandlin of Scotland Yard said.
It was not clear if it was a random attack.
Police said the man had moved through a number of back gardens in the street before the fatal attack and witnesses reportedly saw the armed man attack a cat and several parked cars with his knife before encountering Silva.
Residents reported being evacuated by police amid a heavy armed police presence.
Neighbour Muhammed Yusuf told the BBC police knocked on his door and told him to leave immediately.
His son Ahmed, 19, said: "At first there were two police cars, then all of a sudden there were 20.
"The police said to drop everything I said 'What's going on?' and they said there's a guy jumping over gardens."
Another resident Freda Odame, 30, saw a screaming man waving a weapon around.
“I heard shouting and banging and I opened my curtains and saw a guy holding a knife in a back garden a few doors along,” she said.
The arrested man is in hospital. Police will decide after he has been treated when he can be interviewed.
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