A 24-year-old man has been charged with attempted murder following a serious assault on a uniformed army officer in Gillingham, Kent on Tuesday.
Anthony Esan will appear at Medway Magistrates’ Court on Thursday over the attack on the soldier, who was reportedly a lieutenant-colonel. Mr. Esan has also been charged with possessing an offensive weapon in a public place.
Kent Police were called to Sally Port Gardens at around 5:55 p.m. on Tuesday following reports that solider in uniform had been repeatedly stabbed by a man seen driving a moped in the area.
Mr. Esan, a local man, is reported to have left the scene on a moped and at approximately 6:30 p.m. was located and arrested on Mooring Road, Rochester.
A man, 40, who has not been identified by the police or the Ministry of Defence, was airlifted to a hospital for treatment. His condition is currently described as serious but stable.
Kent Police told The Epoch Times in a statement on Wednesday that cordons have been set up at both the scene of the incident and the scene of the arrest, and a number of knives have been seized.
The Ministry of Defence told The Epoch Times via an emailed statement that an armed presence is currently in place on the front gate at Brompton Barracks and security will be reviewed as required.
No motive for the attack is known at this stage, however Kent Police said the attack is not being treated as terror-related.
Acting Chief Superintendent Richard Woolley told The Epoch Times, “Residents will experience an increased police presence in the Gillingham area and I would like to reassure everyone that officers responded quickly to take a man into custody and we do not currently believe anyone else was involved.”
“The motivation for the attack is currently unknown and forms part of our ongoing enquiries, although we are exploring the possibility that it may be mental health-related,” Mr. Woolley said.
“There is no further information at this time to suggest there are any wider threats to the local community including members of the armed forces.”
An army spokesperson told The Epoch Times: “We’re very sorry to confirm that a soldier has sustained serious injuries in an attack in Chatham, Kent.
“Our thoughts are with the soldier and their family and we request that their privacy is respected at this difficult time,” the spokesperson said.
Starmer ‘Shocked’ by the Attack
Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer said on Wednesday he was “shocked and appalled” that a solider had been attacked in the street.John Healey, secretary of state for defence, also said on X that he was “shocked to hear of an attack on a solder in Kent.”
Screams Heard by Witnesses
The stabbing occurred near Brompton Barracks, the headquarters of the British Army’s 1 Royal School of Military Engineering Regiment.Alex Reynolds, 38, who lives near the barracks, said he heard screams and went outside to see a man wearing a cream camouflage military uniform lying on the ground, surrounded by people trying to help.
Mr. Reynolds’s Ring doorbell footage captured the screams, with someone heard shouting, “What the hell are you doing?”
He was told that the victim goes for a walk every night at around 6 p.m.
A woman living near the scene said she was sitting down to dinner with her family when they heard a “huge scream.”
As they got to the window, she saw the attacker inflicting a final stab wound on a person who was on the ground, before fleeing on a moped.
“It’s very, very scary,” she said.
The suspect remains in police custody.
