The victim, who is in his 40s, suffered serious injuries and was flown to a hospital for treatment, the British Army said.
There was no immediate word on a motive.
I am shocked and appalled by the news that a soldier has been attacked in Kent.— Keir Starmer (@Keir_Starmer) All our thoughts are with the soldier, his family and our Armed Forces community, who serve to keep all of us safe.I wish him a swift recovery.July 24, 2024
Prime Minister Keir Starmer was "shocked and appalled", writing on X: "All our thoughts are with the soldier, his family and our Armed Forces community, who serve to keep all of us safe. I wish him a swift recovery."
Defence Secretary John Healey also called the attack "shocking".
Officers were called Tuesday evening to reports of an assault in the town of Gillingham, southeast of London.
Witnesses said an attacker wearing a ski mask, rode up on a moped, attacked the soldier and then fled.
A 24-year-old man was arrested within half an hour, police said.
The road where police said the attack happened is close to Brompton Barracks, the headquarters of the British Army's 1 Royal School of Military Engineering Regiment.
On Wednesday morning, police cars and crime scene tape cordoned off both ends of the tree-lined road.
The army did not confirm media reports that the soldier was in uniform at the time of the attack.
Attacks on soldiers in Britain are rare.
In 2013, two men inspired by al-Qaeda killed soldier Lee Rigby in a London street, running him down with a car before stabbing him to death.
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