Leeds crossbow attack: Two Women injured, as Terror Police investigate

A community in Leeds has been left in shock after two women were seriously injured in a daylight attack involving a crossbow. Counter Terrorism Policing North East has taken over the investigation into the incident, which occurred at approximately 2:47 PM on Saturday on Otley Road in Headingley — a busy area popular for the "Otley Run" pub crawl.

Three people, including the two injured women and the suspected attacker, were found at the scene and taken to hospital. The attacker, a 38-year-old man, reportedly suffered a "self-inflicted injury" and was arrested. Police recovered a crossbow and a firearm from the scene.

Headingley resident Vasileios Balampanos described arriving shortly after the attack: "When I arrived, I drove down St Anne's Road and there were cordons and quite a few police cars," he said. "I walked further down to have a look and there were a couple of ambulances." He also observed distressed students talking about someone being hurt, noting, "It was quite scary. Generally, this is a quiet area but we have plenty of people doing the Otley Run and going to the pub. It can get busy sometimes."

Headingley councillor Abdul Hannan expressed his horror at the attack, saying, "It's horrific. There is a lot of footfall in that area, it is a busy stretch, especially on a Saturday. It is a tragedy what has taken place."

The Church of England also responded to the incident. The Right Reverend Arun Arora, Bishop of Kirkstall, said: "There is an understandable sense of shock and numbness for people hearing news of Saturday's events. Prayers were offered in church services this morning close to where the attack occurred and space was made in chapels for silent prayer following the services. We will continue to pray for those who were injured in the attack and those who witnessed it."

Detective Chief Superintendent James Dunkerley, head of CTP North East, confirmed the counter-terror unit was leading the investigation. "Although our enquiries are still at a very early stage, the circumstances surrounding this incident have resulted in Counter Terrorism Policing taking the lead for this investigation," he said. "From the enquiries undertaken so far, there is no evidence to suggest anyone else was involved in the attack, and, at this time, we are not looking for anyone else in relation to the incident."

West Yorkshire’s Assistant Chief Constable Carl Galvin added: "Clearly this has been a shocking incident and we fully realise the concern it has caused. Due to the enquiry being active we are limited in what we can say, but I do want to reassure residents that everything possible is being done to investigate and understand what took place." He thanked members of the public for supporting the victims and emergency services, urging people not to speculate or share material online that could affect the investigation.

Eyewitnesses recounted the frightening moments during the attack. A woman working at the restaurant Heaney & Mill described the panic: "It was really scary, because obviously, you don’t get this happening in Leeds. It’s not normal. You hear about this stuff in America, but not on your doorstep." She added that before the attack unfolded, some girls came into the restaurant after seeing a man with a crossbow. "We had to tell everyone at the restaurant what was happening, and we had to say ‘can you please stay indoors? We are going to lock the doors just in case’. We stopped service for a bit. It was really quite scary," she said.

Home Secretary and West Yorkshire MP Yvette Cooper also issued a statement, saying: "I am being kept updated on the serious violent incident in Leeds. Thank you to the police and emergency services for their swift response. My thoughts are with the victims and all those affected by this attack."

A police cordon remains in place and is not expected to be lifted until Monday as investigations continue.