82-yr-old Italian woman 'beheaded' in London
An 82-year-old Italian woman murdered in London on Thursday was beheaded by her killer, UK media reported on Friday.
Palmira Silva was found dead in a garden in Edmonton, north London, on Thursday lunchtime.
Police discovered the elderly woman’s body after being called to the residential street following reports of a man wielding a knife and attacking an animal.
One witness told the BBC he had seen “a guy with a machete with blood dripping from it”, next to a headless cat.
London’s Metropolitan Police would not give details of the attacker’s weapon or Silva injuries, although British media said she had been beheaded.
SEE ALSO: Rome maid beheading was unplanned 'outburst'
Silva’s family said she was of Italian descent although have not given details of where in Italy she was from and how long she has lived in London. The UK's Evening Standard newspaper reported that she was born in Italy and had run a café in London for more than 30 years.
Police arrested a 25-year-old man close to the scene, who is currently undergoing medical treatment and being held on suspicion of murder. During the arrest one of the police officers was injured and is thought to have a broken wrist.
Authorities said it was “too early” to determine a motive for the murder, stressing the attack was not terrorist related.
“These sort of events on our streets during the day in residential areas are very, very unusual and not common,” Commander Simon Letchford told journalists.
The Metropolitan Police said they were also investigating an attempted attack on two people in the same street.
SEE ALSO: Three jailed for life for UK murder of Italian waiter
Comments
See Also
Palmira Silva was found dead in a garden in Edmonton, north London, on Thursday lunchtime.
Police discovered the elderly woman’s body after being called to the residential street following reports of a man wielding a knife and attacking an animal.
One witness told the BBC he had seen “a guy with a machete with blood dripping from it”, next to a headless cat.
London’s Metropolitan Police would not give details of the attacker’s weapon or Silva injuries, although British media said she had been beheaded.
SEE ALSO: Rome maid beheading was unplanned 'outburst'
Silva’s family said she was of Italian descent although have not given details of where in Italy she was from and how long she has lived in London. The UK's Evening Standard newspaper reported that she was born in Italy and had run a café in London for more than 30 years.
Police arrested a 25-year-old man close to the scene, who is currently undergoing medical treatment and being held on suspicion of murder. During the arrest one of the police officers was injured and is thought to have a broken wrist.
Authorities said it was “too early” to determine a motive for the murder, stressing the attack was not terrorist related.
“These sort of events on our streets during the day in residential areas are very, very unusual and not common,” Commander Simon Letchford told journalists.
The Metropolitan Police said they were also investigating an attempted attack on two people in the same street.
SEE ALSO: Three jailed for life for UK murder of Italian waiter
Join the conversation in our comments section below. Share your own views and experience and if you have a question or suggestion for our journalists then email us at [email protected].
Please keep comments civil, constructive and on topic – and make sure to read our terms of use before getting involved.
Please log in here to leave a comment.