Knifeman calling himself 'Lucifer' slashes three at NYC's Grand Central

Police fatally shot the assailant after he ignored at least 20 demands to drop the weapon, NYPD says. Knifeman calling himself 'Lucifer' slashes three at NYC's Grand Central Copyright current_year BBC. All rights reserved. The BBC is not responsible for the content of external sites. Read about our approach to external linking. Copyright current_year BBC. All rights reserved. The BBC is not responsible for the content of external sites. Read about our approach to external linking. New York police say they recovered this machete at the scene A black machete lies on the train platform. A machete-wielding suspect arbitrarily attacked three people at New York City's Grand Central station before he was fatally shot by police. The suspect slashed an 84-year-old man and a 65-year-old man about the head and face, and left a 70-year-old woman with cuts to her shoulder on a subway platform. Police said the assailant, identified as 44-year-old Anthony Griffin, ignored repeated demands to drop the weapon and called himself Lucifer. Authorities said no connection to terrorism was suspected in the incident, which led to trains being diverted at the biggest rail hub in the US. New York Governor Kathy Hochul said in a statement that "innocent people were attacked in a senseless act of violence". New York Mayor Zohran Mamdani praised officers for their rapid response and said police body camera footage of the incident would be released. NYPD Police Commissioner Jessica Tisch told a news conference the suspect had entered the subway system on Saturday morning at Vernon Boulevard-Jackson Avenue in the borough of Queens. He boarded the 7 train to Grand Central-42 Street station, where he slashed one person on the platform. The assailant moved upstairs to another platform where he slashed two other people. Orange crime tape is used to cordon off the scene of blood and a machete on the train platform after a man was shot by New York Police Department. One, the 84-year-old man, suffered significant lacerations to the head and face, while the 65-year-old man sustained similar injuries, as well as an open skull fracture, said Tisch. Two transit officers in the vicinity were alerted at 09:40 local time (13:40 GMT). "The individual was armed with a large knife, described as a machete, and was behaving erratically, repeatedly stating that he was Lucifer," said Tisch. She said the assailant had ignored at least 20 demands to drop the weapon and "advanced towards the officers with the knife extended". One officer shot the suspect twice before both attempted life-saving measures. But the suspect was later pronounced dead at Bellevue Hospital. All three victims were taken to hospital with injuries that were not believed to be life-threatening. New York police urged residents to avoid the area due to the investigation. The assailant had three prior arrests, but no Emotionally Disturbed Person (EDP) report history with the NYPD, said Tisch. "All I know is I want to start terror, bro," one of the men allegedly said in the attack outside the NYC mayor's home, Gracie Mansion. The performance is part of efforts to help save the home the bard built north of Dumfries. Two men have been arrested over the shooting of a seven-month-old baby in Williamsburg. The US vice-president made the announcement after 21 hours of negotiations in Islamabad, Pakistan. Many who support the president have expressed frustration with how Trump's former attorney general Pam Bondi handled the Epstein files. Bystanders found the woman unresponsive and carried out CPR until emergency workers arrived. The festival in California was also forced to cancel a set by DJ Anyma on Friday because of strong winds. The new monument, if approved, would be taller than the US Capitol building and the Lincoln Memorial.