Two men have been arrested after three men were stabbed to death in a clash police believe was between groups of Sikh men, the police chief leading the investigation has revealed.
Police responded to reports of a disturbance in Elmstead Road, Seven Kings, on Sunday at 7.38pm and three men were found with stab wounds.
All three men were pronounced dead at the scene by London Ambulance Service paramedics.
The Metropolitan Police said the victims are believed to be aged in their 20s or 30s. Their families are still being contacted and formal post mortems will be carried out in due course.
Investigators have ruled out terrorism.
On Monday morning (January 20), Ch Supt Stephen Clayman of the Metropolitan Police's East Area command visited the scene to give an update on the progress of the investigation.
He said: "It was a horrific scene for anyone to come across and my heart goes out to the families and those affected by it because it is unprecedented to have something like this.
"Residents in and around the Seven Kings area will see extra officers on patrol; if you have any concerns, or information that could assist the investigation, please stop and speak to them."
The police officer then went on to give a detailed rundown of what investigators have discovered so far.
He said: "The incident happened at around 7.40pm last night.
"We know that it started near Seven Kings Rail Station and then moved to Elmstead Road.
"It was a coming together of two groups of men, the result of which was that three men were fatally stabbed.
"Despite the best efforts of paramedics at the scene they were pronounced dead at the scene.
"This was a devastating incident.
"I can update though that overnight the teams have been working hard and there have been two arrests - two men have been arrested.
"They are around 29 and 39 years old. I can't give any more details than that at the moment but there are two men in custody.
"We believe the parties are known to each other and that the parites are members of the Sikh community, so we have spent a lot of time this morning trying to allay the fears of the community and make sure that there is reassurance provided, certainly from us locally."
A thorough investigation led by homicide detectives from Specialist Crime is under way and crime scenes are in place in the area as officers continue a full forensic examination.
These will be in place into Monday and potentially beyond, the Met have said.
Comments: Our rules
We want our comments to be a lively and valuable part of our community - a place where readers can debate and engage with the most important local issues. The ability to comment on our stories is a privilege, not a right, however, and that privilege may be withdrawn if it is abused or misused.
Please report any comments that break our rules.
Read the rules here