A soldier has been injured after a suspected knifeman tried to steal his dog.
The soldier, in his 20s, was stabbed while walking his dog near a British Army base in Perham Down, Wiltshire.
The unnamed soldier, who was wearing civilian clothing, came face to face with the assailant two miles from the Swinton Barracks, MailOnline reports.
The attacker, who was unknown to the soldier, demanded to get his pet dog, but he refused, which is thought to have triggered the attack.
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A spokesperson for Wiltshire Police said: ‘At around 3.45pm, we received a report that an unknown suspect had approached a man walking a dog in woodland near Perham Down and attempted to snatch the lead of the dog.
‘The victim, a man in his 20s, suffered a minor injury to his face during the incident.
‘Our enquiries into the incident are ongoing.’
A source told the outlet: ‘It was a random attack while he was out walking a dog.
‘The attacker approached him and produced a knife, and demanded that he hand the dog over.
‘Obviously he refused. The knifeman made a lunge at him, and he was wounded in the face.’
The random attack is thought to be unrelated to his role with the Army, the source said.
Dog walkers reacted to the news of the incident on social media.
One person asked whether ‘we need to be cautious when walking our dogs in the local area then?’
Another person wrote: ‘As a woman who walks alone in these woods, should I be worried?’
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