A WOMAN is due in court this morning charged with offences including attempted murder in relation to the incident which brought town into ‘lockdown’ on Saturday.
Ayaan Ali, 28, of Isleworth, Middlesex, has been charged with attempted murder, affray and possession of an offensive weapon and remanded in custody. She will appear before Barnsley Magistrates’ Court this morning.
Police received multiple calls from around 8.20am on Saturday, after one man suffered minor injuries following an alleged stabbing.
Chief Superintendent Scott Green, district commander for Barnsley, said: “There remains a lot of speculation and rumour on social media, much of which is inaccurate and is creating a lot of fear and distress locally.
“While it would be inappropriate to provide specific information about ongoing legal proceedings, what I can clarify is that at this stage, there is absolutely no information whatsoever to suggest that this was a group attack.
“We’ve had officers scouring hours of CCTV, working in partnership with other agencies, to gather as much information as we can about the circumstances surrounding (Saturday’s) incident. We are satisfied that this was an isolated incident by a single person. We would therefore ask the public to stop reinforcing the rumour that there were multiple people involved.
“We can now also confirm definitively that this was not an act of terrorism.
“I trust that this offers some reassurance and closure to the Barnsley public after what must have been a very shocking day.
“Our absolute priority is to ensure the safety of the public and while the sight of so many officers may have been disconcerting, I hope that you all appreciate that this was necessary in order to build a comprehensive understanding of what happened and keep people safe.
“We are very grateful to the local community for their support and co-operation, and for those who have sent our officers positive wishes via social media.”
Matt Gladstone, executive director for Place at Barnsley Council, said: "The council would like to thank the public, town centre businesses, market traders and our staff for their support and resilience during this critical incident.
“We’ve worked closely with the Police and other agencies to make sure that our town centre has remained open for business.
"This has been an isolated incident in Barnsley and we’re pleased that it has been handled quickly and effectively.”
If anyone holds information about the incident and is yet to speak with police, please call 101 quoting incident number 246 of 8 September 2018.
