One of two people being treated at Reading Hospital has been discharged.

Officers from Counter Terrorism Policing South East have taken over the investigation, external.

Chief Constable John Campbell, from Thames Valley Police, said: “I am deeply saddened by the events of last night.

“This was a truly tragic incident and the thoughts of Thames Valley Police are with all those who have been affected.

“Incidents of this nature are very rare, though I know that will be of little comfort to those involved and understand the concern that this incident will have caused amongst our local community.

“We will be working closely with our partners over the coming days and weeks to support the Reading community during this time, as well as with CTPSE as they progress their investigation."

Three people were killed and three more were seriously injured in the attack at at Forbury Gardens at about 19:00 BST on Saturday.

A 25-year-old man from Reading was arrested on suspicion of murder after being detained at the scene.

Linda Serck
BBC South

The whole town centre area remains cordoned off, apart from Broad Street and King's Road.

The cordon is adding to the already eerily quiet streets due to the coronavirus lockdown.

Counter Terrorism Policing can now confirm that the stabbing incident that happened in Reading last night, has now been declared a terrorist incident.

The stabbing has, not surprisingly, made it on to the front pages of many of Sunday's newspapers.

Image source, Sunday Mirror

Image source, Sunday Telegraph

Image source, Sunday Express

Helena Wilkinson
BBC News correspondent

Image source, PA Media

Dozens of officers are at a massive cordon around Forbury Gardens - the park where the stabbings took place.

A normally peaceful park nestled between a former youth offending prison - currently empty - and Reading Crown Court.

Police car lights puncture the night sky hours after the incident happened. A helicopter has been circling overhead. Forensic teams in their white suits have been scouring the area.

Those who were in the park have been retelling the distressing sequence of events.

Luke told us he saw a man move from one group to another stabbing people before running away quickly.

This normally quiet town is now the centre of a triple murder investigation.

Officers have appealed to members of the public to send them any mobile phone footage of the multiple stabbings and not to share it online.

Det Ch Supt Ian Hunter said: “We are also aware that the incident was captured on mobile phones and would like to hear from anyone who has video footage.

"Out of respect for those deceased and injured, along with their loved ones, please do not circulate this footage on social media - this will be incredibly distressing."

He added the arrested man was 25 and from Reading.

Dominic Casciani
Home Affairs Correspondent

Image source, PA Media

Throughout Saturday evening, residents of the Basingstoke Road flats that were raided by the police stood on the footpath outside, watching on astonished as armed officers entered their home.

The first police arrived at 20:00 BST and secured the scene - apparently asking some residents to leave their flats or preventing others from returning.

Two specialist incident response units from the ambulance service arrived - indicating that police were possibly taking additional precautions at the scene.

At 23:00, more than a dozen armed officers, carrying shields, entered the central block and climbed the stairs to the upper floors.

About 90 minutes later there was a loud bang that sounded like it came from inside one of the flats.

Shortly afterwards lots of the armed team left the scene.

People here are shocked - but absolutely none the wiser as to what is going on.

Home Secretary Priti Patel has issued a statement in which she condemns the stabbings as a "senseless attack on people simply enjoying a Saturday evening with family and friends".

Urging residents to share any information they have with police, she added: "My hearts, prayers and thoughts are with those affected and to the people of Reading who will be deeply shocked and concerned by this terrible incident".

Image source, Steve Parsons/PA Wire

South Central Ambulance Service NHS Foundation Trust said it deployed "multiple resources" to the scene, including:

• Five ambulance crews
• A hazardous area response team
• The critical care response unit from Thames Valley Air Ambulance
• The critical care unit from Hampshire & Isle of Wight Air Ambulance
• Two ambulance doctors and staff from London Ambulance Service

The trust said: "We were assessing and treating a number of casualties who had sustained injuries as a result of the incident.

"Thank you to all those people who stopped and helped those who were injured as a result of this situation."

Police say the multiple stabbing is “not currently being treated as a terrorism incident".

Det Ch Supt Ian Hunter said: "However, officers are keeping an open mind as to the motivation for the incident and are being supported by colleagues from Counter Terrorism Policing South East."

He also reiterated there was no link to the Black Lives Matter protest at the park earlier in the day.

"I can confirm that this incident is not connected. It occurred around three hours after the protest had concluded," said the officer.

Thames Valley Police has confirmed that three people have died, and another three sustained serious injuries.

The force said it has launched a murder investigation.

Det Ch Supt Ian Hunter said: “We have made one arrest and at this stage we are not looking for any other people in connection with this incident.

"There is no intelligence to suggest that there is any further danger to the public, however we urge people to remain vigilant and report anything suspicious by calling police."

Image source, PA Media

About a dozen armed police officers carrying shields were seen entering a block of flats in Basingstoke Road in Reading at about 23:00 BST.

BBC News Home Affairs correspondent Dominic Casciani, who was outside the block of flats, said he heard a loud bang at the scene.

Prime Minister Boris Johnson lead the government it its response to the stabbings.

He tweeted: "My thoughts are with all of those affected by the appalling incident in Reading and my thanks to the emergency services on the scene."

Policing and justice minister Kit Malthouse said in a tweet the stabbings were a "horrific, dreadful incident" and offered his "deepest sympathies to all affected"

Home Secretary Priti Patel said she was "deeply concerned" by the reports of the attack.

Business Secretary and MP for Reading West Alok Sharma tweeted: "My thoughts are very much with all at ThamesVP and others who are dealing with this incident and those who have been affected."

Labour leader Sir Keir Starmer also thanked the emergency services attending the scene.

He tweeted: "Very concerning reports from Reading. Thank you to the police and other emergency service personnel responding. Please follow the advice of the PoliceChiefs."

Image source, Reuters

Thames Valley Police has so far only officially given limited details about the stabbing.

In a statement, issued shortly before 22:00 BST, the force confirmed that its officers and other emergency services attended the park at about 19:00.

It added: "A number of people sustained injuries and were taken to hospital.

"A police cordon is in place in Forbury Gardens as officers investigate. "We are asking the public to avoid the area at this time."

Image source, Reuters

Initial reports highlighted the fact that Forbury Gardens was the location for a Black Lives Matter protest earlier in the day.

However, Thames Valley Police said there was "no indication" that the stabbing was linked to the event.

Nieema Hassan, an organiser of the Reading protest, also posted on Facebook that demonstrators had left the area by the time of the attack.

"In terms of the protest and people that attended from Black Lives Matter, we're all safe, none of us are affected.

"I have goosebumps knowing that this has happened only a few hours after we all peacefully came together today to talk about change and equality and it's pretty heartbreaking that this day has been tarnished with violence."

Image source, @cogp79/AFP

Two air ambulances were photographed landing at another park nearby to ferry the injured to hospital.

Armed police officers have also been seen in the town and large parts of the town remain cordoned off.

We've rounded up the latest images from the scene here.

Another witness, Claire Gould, a freelance journalist who lives in Reading, said she walked past Forbury Gardens at around 18:40 BST "and everything seemed calm".

She then saw an air ambulance land in King's Meadow - another park close to the scene - at around 19:00 BST, followed by a second around 10 minutes later.

"There were multiple sirens from 19:00 going on for the next couple of hours and police helicopters [were] circling," she added.