http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/uknews/c...arden.html
An 82-year-old woman was beheaded in a north London suburban garden by a man with a machete.
Palmira Silva, a widow and grandmother described as “such a sweet lady” by one neighbour, was killed outside her home in Edmonton in a random but frenzied assault by a 25-year-old.
Witnesses said they saw the man, wielding a foot-long blade, attack a passing vehicle and a cat before roaming back gardens looking for a victim.
Police believe he also tried to attack two people at another home in the street, but they were able to escape without injury.
The man was arrested after armed officers, who had distracted him to prevent further attacks, cornered him in a house and brought him down with a Taser stun gun. Some officers were injured.
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Mrs Silva, who was of Italian descent, was pronounced dead at the scene.
One line of inquiry for detectives is understood to be that the man was inspired by recent footage of terrorists beheading two American journalists in Syria.
Some residents claimed last night that the suspect was a local man who had converted to Islam last year, but those claims could not be verified. Detectives said they had ruled out terrorism.
Witnesses described seeing police smash windows of neighbouring properties, carry screaming children and lead terrified residents to safety.
One neighbour told of her narrow escape. Freda Odame, 30, a catering worker, said she heard a commotion and pulled back her curtains to see a man in his mid-20s with a knife.
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Not terrorism? Woman beheaded in England.
