On 5 December 2015, a man armed with what was described as a blunt 3-inch (7.5 cm) bread knife attacked three people at Leytonstone Underground station in East London.

[1] After originally being classed as terrorism, the classification was later removed after the investigation concluded that the main motive was mental illness, albeit inspired by ISIL-propaganda.

A junior doctor, who was passing the scene, tended to the wounded victim to control his bleeding, and praised the "brave people" who confronted the perpetrator.

[6] Muhaydin Mire, a 29-year-old who had moved to the UK from Somalia as a child and lived in Leytonstone, appeared at the Old Bailey on 7 December 2015 and was charged with attempted murder of the 56-year-old man who was seriously injured.

[9] Around a month before the attack, Mire's family had sought urgent medical help trying to get him sectioned, but this was rejected by authorities, who found him to be of no risk to himself or others.

There was no mention of radicalisation; the conversation related entirely to health-related issues and the family were therefore correctly referred to health services for help.

[1][8][11] In a video of the alleged perpetrator being subdued by police, a bystander subsequently identified by the first name John shouted, "You ain't no Muslim, bruv.

"[17] Local MP for Leyton and Wanstead, John Cryer of the Labour Party, described the attack as "barbaric" but stated it would be "dangerous" to directly link it to the British airstrikes against ISIS in Syria without proof.