Hackney stabbing: Two teenagers arrested

Two teenagers have been arrested on suspicion of murder after an 18-year-old was stabbed to death in Hackney.

The suspects, both aged 17, were arrested late on Wednesday evening after the victim was found with fatal injuries on Link Street at around 8pm.

Despite the efforts of the London Ambulance and the London Air Ambulance Service, the victim was pronounced dead at the scene at 8.24pm.

His death takes the number of suspected murders connected to the capital since New Year's Eve to above 50.

The Metropolitan Police said his next of kin had been informed and that a post-mortem examination would take place in due course.

Speaking at the scene on Thursday morning, local MP Diane Abbott said: "Mothers all over the capital must be thinking 'I can say goodbye to my son in the morning but will he come back tonight?'

"Whether their son will turn out to be a victim or a perpetrator, it's traumatising for families."

She blamed the wave of violence on cuts to policing and youth and social services.

A well-wisher visiting the scene, who asked not to be named, said he had worked with the victim doing security and was a good friend of his brother.

He told the Press Association: "It's just constant. Every single day.

"They talk about cuts to police but they can still afford £50 million to guard the royal wedding."

He continued: "Why are we cutting back on real issues and investing in non-issues? The Royal Family can afford to pay for their own security."

He said that if you looked at the estates in the area, there was nothing for young people to do.

"Everyone wants to be a plastic gangster - if there was even half the investment there is in (the royal wedding) in to youth services there would be a lot less killing going on."

Just hours earlier a man in his 50s died outside a bookmakers in Upper Clapton following a suspected fight.

Appealing for witnesses to both killings, Chief Superintendent Sue Williams said: "Sadly yesterday saw two people lose their lives in Hackney, a man aged 53 in Upper Clapton Road and an 18-year-old man in Link Street. Our thoughts are with the friends and families of both men at this awful time."

She added: "In Hackney we are working hard to prevent further violence and keep people safe - we have extra officers on the streets, both highly visible and in plain clothes carrying out a range of intelligence-led operations and patrols."

Stabbings in England and Wales are at their highest levels since 2010/11 and the escalating violence has been especially acute in London, with 13 people killed within two weeks last month.

On Tuesday, 16-year-old Amaan Shakoor became the youngest murder victim in London so far this year after he was shot dead on Monday in Walthamstow.

Amaan Shakoor (Metropolitan Police)
Amaan Shakoor (Metropolitan Police)

His death came after that of Tanesha Melbourne, 17, who was gunned down around 30 minutes earlier just three miles away in Tottenham.

Both were apparently casualties of gang violence.

Scotland Yard said it is currently investigating 55 suspected murders since the start of 2018, including the deaths of two children whose bodies were found in Sussex.

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