Girl, 11, and woman, 34, rushed to hospital after being stabbed at London tourist hotspot during school holidays
12 August 2024, 13:04 | Updated: 12 August 2024, 16:02
A man has been arrested after an 11-year-old girl and 34-year-old woman were stabbed in London's Leicester Square.
Listen to this article
Loading audio...
Police say there is no suggestion it was terror related - neither of the victims have life changing injuries
The 11-year-old girl will require hospital treatment but her injuries are not life threatening.
The second victim suffered more minor injuries.
A man has been arrested and is in custody.
The Metropolitan Police said they do not believe there are any outstanding suspects.
Officers remain at the scene, which is in one of the busiest tourist areas in the capital.
A London Ambulance Service spokesperson said a woman and child stabbed in Leicester Square had been taken to a major trauma centre.
A police cordon has been put in place surrounding the double doors of the TWG Tea shop on Leicester Square after an 11-year-old girl and 34-year-old woman were reportedly stabbed.
The cordon is beside the LEGO store and in front of the M&M store, and families and tourists are still standing in queues for each.
At least six police officers are at the scene.
Read more: At least 24 people crushed to death by rubbish during landslide at Uganda waste dump
The ambulance spokesperson said: "We were called at 11.36am on Monday 12 August to reports of a stabbing at Leicester Square.
"We sent resources to the scene, including an ambulance crew, an advanced paramedic and an incident response officer. We also dispatched members of our tactical response unit.
"We treated a child and an adult at the scene and took them to a major trauma centre."
Officers are at the scene of a stabbing in Leicester Square.
— Westminster Police | Central West BCU (@MPSWestminster) August 12, 2024
A man has been arrested & is in custody.
We don't believe there are any outstanding suspects.
Two victims, an 11-yr-old girl & a 34-yr-old woman, have been taken to hospital & we await an update on their condition.
'I jumped on him'
A security guard, who gave his name as Abdullah, 29, said he had worked in security at the TWG Tea shop.
He told the PA news agency: "I heard a scream, at that moment I saw there was one person, roughly (in their) mid-30s or early 30s, and he was like stabbing a kid - I jumped on him, held the hand in which he was (carrying) a knife, and just put him down on the floor and just held him and took the knife away from him.
"Then a couple of more people joined as well, and we just held him until the police came, it took maybe three to four minutes for the police to arrive and then they just took him into custody."
He and his colleagues gave first aid to the child before the police joined in, he said.
"I just saw a kid getting stabbed and I just tried to save her. It's my duty to just save them."
He added that he did not know if the girl was with family members at the time.
A street entertainer who was nearby said the suspect in the attack was a young, white, skinny male wearing a black T-shirt and jeans.
The witness, who gave his name as Desmond, 45, said the knifeman focused the attack on the girl, putting her in a headlock and stabbing her.
Desmond, 45, who performs as Darth Vader on the square "every day", told reporters: "When I looked to my side I saw a young man... was stabbing her several (times) with a knife.
"Before I could jump down to go (over there), two guys were just passing, and they grab him, they put him on the ground, and immediately the police came.
"I think the woman was also stabbed once, but the child was the most targeted, he was stabbing the child several times.
"Police held him and stood him up and cuffed him."
Desmond said the woman and girl appeared to be family or known to each other as they had been together before the attack happened.
He added: "It was so terrible, I've never seen a thing like that. I was heartbroken, I saw the woman was screaming with all her strength."
Read more: Row erupts in tiny Norfolk village over plan to fly the Union Flag as residents brand it ‘divisive’
Detective Chief Superintendent Christina Jessah, in charge of policing for Westminster, said: “This is a horrific incident and our thoughts are with the victims and their family. We will continue to provide support to them over the coming days and weeks.
“I would like to pay tribute to the members of the public, including staff from local businesses, who bravely intervened in this incident. They put themselves at risk and showed the best of London in doing so.
“An urgent investigation is now ongoing and detectives are working to establish the details around exactly what happened.“At this stage we don’t believe the suspect and the victims were known to each other.
“While we continue to work to establish the suspect’s motive, at this stage there is nothing to indicate the attack was terror-related.
“Detectives will be keen to speak to anyone who was in the area and may have information that can assist with their enquiries. I would urge anyone who can help to get in touch.
”Witnesses, or anyone with footage or photos of the incident, are asked to call 101 or to contact Crimestoppers, anonymously, on 0800 555 111, giving the reference 2745/12AUG.
Knife crime is on the rise in the UK, with more than 14,500 offences recorded last year, according to the UK Home Office- 46 percent of all the homicides in the country.
