On Thursday, a 24-year-old man named Anthony Esan appeared in court charged with attempted murder following a violent incident earlier this week. Esan is accused of repeatedly stabbing Lieutenant Colonel Mark Teeton near an army barracks in Gillingham, southeast England, on Tuesday.
The attack, which occurred near the British Army’s Brompton Barracks, involved Esan allegedly running up behind Teeton, pulling him to the ground, and stabbing him multiple times before fleeing the scene on a moped.
The victim, Lieutenant Colonel Teeton, who is in his 40s, was hospitalized with injuries described as serious but stable. Following the assault, two knives were found at the scene, and an additional three knives were discovered on the moped Esan used to escape.
The motive behind the attack remains unclear, and although the police are investigating, they do not currently consider it to be terror-related. There is also a possibility that the incident may be linked to mental health issues.
Esan was apprehended in nearby Rochester within 30 minutes of the attack and has been remanded in custody. He will face a further hearing on August 22.
The case has attracted significant attention, with Prime Minister Keir Starmer expressing shock and dismay over the incident. Initial comparisons were drawn to the 2013 murder of British soldier Lee Rigby, who was killed by Islamist extremists, although this incident is not currently being treated as terrorism-related.
The police are continuing their investigation into the circumstances surrounding the attack, and the public is awaiting further details as the legal proceedings unfold.