LONDON

A 13-year-old boy has been arrested on suspicion of attempted murder after two pupils were stabbed Tuesday at a school in northwest London.

Officers were called to Kingsbury High School in the Brent area at about 12.40 pm (1240GMT) following reports of a stabbing, according to the BBC.

Police have identified a suspect, also a teenage boy, following the incident, which left two boys aged 12 and 13 wounded, the report said.

They launched a search for the suspect and later arrested a 13-year-old boy on suspicion of attempted murder.

Both victims were taken to the hospital by the London Ambulance Service.

The investigation is being led by counter-terror police, although a terrorist incident has not been declared.

Detective Chief Superintendent Luke Williams said armed and local officers were at the scene within 13 minutes of the 999 call.

He also said that a weapon believed to have been used in the attack was recovered and the suspect remained in custody.

- 'Deeply shocking and distressing incident'

Home Secretary Shabana Mahmood called the stabbing a "shocking attack."

"The police have arrested the suspect...We must now give them the space to pursue their investigation," she said on the US social media company X’s platform.

"My thoughts are with the family, friends and wider community in Brent following the appalling stabbings today," London Mayor Sadiq Khan said in a statement.

Muhammed Butt, leader of the Brent Council, defined the stabbings as a "deeply shocking and distressing incident."

"No parent should ever have to fear for their child’s safety at school, and it is horrifying to think of how someone so young came to be in possession of a weapon capable of causing such harm," he said in a statement.