A machete-wielding suspect calling himself ‘Lucifer’ randomly attacked three people at New York City’s Grand Central station before he was fatally shot by police, in a rampage that diverted trains at the nation’s biggest rail hub, according to the BBC.

Attack Details and Victim Injuries

The suspect slashed an 84-year-old man and a 65-year-old man about the head and face and left a 70-year-old woman with cuts to her shoulder in the subway platform attack, according to the BBC.

Police said the assailant, 44-year-old Anthony Griffin, ignored repeated demands to drop the weapon and called himself Lucifer, according to the BBC.

Authorities said no connection to terrorism was suspected in the incident, according to the BBC.

New York Governor Kathy Hochul said in a statement on the attack that ‘innocent people were attacked in a senseless act of violence,’ according to the BBC.

New York Mayor Zohran Mamdani praised officers for their rapid response and said police body camera footage of the incident would be released, according to the BBC.

NYPD Police Commissioner Jessica Tisch told a news conference the suspect had entered the subway system on Saturday morning at Vernon Boulevard–Jackson Avenue in the borough of Queens, according to the BBC.

He boarded the 7 train to Grand Central-42 Street station, where he slashed one person on the platform; the assailant moved upstairs to another platform where he slashed two other people, according to the BBC.

Suspect’s Actions and Police Response

One was an 84-year-old man, who suffered significant lacerations to the head and face, and the other was a 65-year-old man, who sustained similar injuries, as well as an open skull fracture, said Commissioner Tisch, according to the BBC.

Two transit officers in the vicinity were alerted at 09:40 EDT (13:40 GMT), according to the BBC.

‘The individual was armed with a large knife, described as a machete, and was behaving erratically, repeatedly stating that he was Lucifer,’ said Tisch, according to the BBC.

She said the assailant had ignored at least 20 demands to drop the weapon and ‘advanced towards the officers with the knife extended,’ according to the BBC.

One officer discharged his weapon, shooting the suspect twice, before they attempted life-saving measures; But the suspect was pronounced dead at Bellevue Hospital, according to the BBC.

All three victims were taken to hospital with injuries that were not believed to be life threatening; New York police urged residents to avoid the area due to the investigation, according to the BBC.

Suspect’s Background

The assailant had three prior arrests, but no Emotionally Disturbed Person (EDP) report history with NYPD, said Tisch, according to the BBC.

Police are still investigating the motive behind the attack, with no indication of a larger threat to public safety — the incident has sparked conversations about mental health and public safety in urban areas, according to the BBC.