Two held after teenager stabbed to death in London

An 18-year-old has been stabbed to death in east London, the 24th teenager to die in a knife or gun attack in the capital this year, police said on Sunday. The victim, who has not been named, was attacked near a bus garage in Walthamstow in the early hours of this morning.

Police on a routine patrol found him after they saw two or three men running from the scene. He was taken by ambulance to Whipps Cross Hospital, Leytonstone, where he was pronounced dead soon after he arrived.

The Metropolitan Police said a 17-year-old and a man in his late teens or early 20s were arrested near the scene. The 17-year-old needed treatment for a minor knife wound.

Acting Detective Chief Inspector John Sandlin, leading the investigation, appealed for witnesses.

"The incident happened close to a well-lit bus garage in Walthamstow Central," he said in a statement. "Did you see anyone run away from the scene?"

A post mortem examination will be held later. Police will only name the victim once relatives have been informed.

A wave of shootings and stabbings in London in recent months has prompted a police crackdown on young people carrying weapons. Metropolitan Police chief Ian Blair last month said the violence was "unacceptable".

A large police operation is under way in west London for the annual Notting Hill Carnival.

In Birmingham, police said a 24-year-old man was shot dead in the Newtown area of the city yesterday.