Six people stabbed at New York’s Penn Station; one is in a serious condition. Attacker arrested
The attack at Penn Station took place just a few metres from Madison Square Garden, where Donald Trump will be watching the NBA final between the Knicks and the San Antonio Spurs
Six people were injured in a stabbing inside New York’s Penn Station on the evening of 7 June, according to the authorities. A suspect was taken into custody following the attack, which took place at around 7pm at one of the busiest transport hubs in the US. The vast railway complex beneath Madison Square Garden serves Amtrak, Long Island Rail Road, NJ Transit and the New York subway lines, and is used by hundreds of thousands of commuters and travellers every day. According to the city’s fire brigade, paramedics found one victim with serious injuries, two with moderate injuries and two with minor injuries. All five were taken to Bellevue Hospital. Another person, whose condition was not immediately known, was taken to a different hospital.
The authorities did not immediately release details of what triggered the stabbing or whether the victims had been targeted. The violence erupted as New York prepared for one of its biggest sporting events in decades. Monday night’s match between the New York Knicks and the San Antonio Spurs will be the first NBA final at Madison Square Garden since 1999 and is expected to draw a huge crowd to the arena.
President Donald Trump said he intended to watch the match, which was being broadcast live nationwide, leading to a massive security operation involving the Secret Service, the New York Police Department and other agencies around Madison Square Garden and the surrounding blocks. The authorities did not immediately indicate whether the stabbing would affect security arrangements for the match.
Motive yet to be established
“My thoughts are with all those who have been injured, their families and everyone who has been deeply shocked by this unacceptable violence. I wish each of the victims a full and speedy recovery,” wrote New York’s mayor, Zohran Mamdani, on X, referring to the six injured people.
According to the mayor, it was officers from Amtrak, the US national rail company, who intervened to stop the attack and arrest the assailant. A France Presse photographer who arrived at the scene after the incident found gauze, medical gloves and traces of blood on the ground near platforms 5 and 6. The police have not provided any information on the attacker’s motive.
