2024 Hainault sword attack

On the morning of 30 April 2024, between approximately 06:50 and 07:00, residents of Hainault in northeast London reported hearing screaming after a man driving a van struck a pedestrian and crashed into a property. The driver, wearing a yellow hoodie, exited the vehicle and, after asking a bystander where he was, drew a sword from his trousers and slashed the neck of the man he had just struck with the van, reportedly shouting that he intended to kill him.

The attacker then forced entry into a nearby family home and attacked a sleeping 35-year-old man, who suffered a serious hand injury and significant blood loss; relatives said he had protected his family from further harm. Leaving the house, the attacker approached 14-year-old Daniel Anjorin from behind as the boy walked to school wearing headphones. Witnesses said bystanders tried to warn Anjorin but he likely could not hear them. The attacker slashed his neck and stabbed him in the chest, fatally wounding him. Two police officers who arrived at the scene attempted to subdue the attacker, who fled down an alleyway, injuring a female officer as he escaped. He continued to evade officers by climbing over gardens and garages, at one point shouting "Is there anybody here who believes in God?" according to video footage cited in reporting.

At around 07:22, officers cornered the attacker in a resident's driveway. He was struck with multiple Taser rounds and tackled to the ground by a number of police officers before being arrested. In total, one person was killed and four others were injured: a 33-year-old man struck by the van and wounded in the neck; a 35-year-old man injured in the home invasion; Daniel Anjorin, who died in hospital; and two police officers, one male and one female, both seriously injured in the hand and arm respectively, each requiring surgery. It was later reported that, before the attack, the perpetrator had killed and skinned his pet cat.

The man arrested at the scene, Marcus Aurelio Arduini Monzo, born in Brazil to a Brazilian father and Spanish mother and a resident of Newham since 2013, was said to have had no known connection to any of the victims, and the attack was determined not to be targeted or terror-related. He was charged on 1 May 2024 with murder, attempted murder, grievous bodily harm, aggravated burglary and possession of a bladed article; the charges were later amended. On 2 May 2025 he pleaded guilty to two of three bladed-article possession counts while denying the remaining charges. On 25 June 2025, following trial at the Old Bailey, Monzo was found guilty of murdering Daniel Anjorin, three counts of attempted murder, one count of wounding with intent, aggravated burglary, and possession of a bladed article. The Crown Prosecution Service stated that the jury's verdicts affirmed that Monzo, whose mental state was said to have been driven by cannabis misuse, was fully responsible for the attack. He was sentenced on 27 June 2025 to life imprisonment with a minimum term of 40 years, later adjusted to 38 years and 309 days to account for time served on remand.

A vigil for Daniel Anjorin was held on 5 May 2024 at Hainault tube station, attended by around 300 people. Arsenal Football Club, of which Anjorin was a supporter, held a tribute during a Premier League match, including a banner and applause in his memory.