This is the moment a ‘knife man’ was arrested after a schoolgirl and her mother were attacked in Leicester Square.
A store security guard said he tried to save the 11-year-old girl when she was being attacked by a knife-wielding man today.
The Metropolitan Police said a man, believed to be the sole suspect, has been arrested after the attack at the resort on Monday.
The guard, who gave his name as Abdullah, 29, and works at the TWG tea shop in the square, said: ‘I heard a scream, at that moment I saw there was a person, about 30 or 35 years old, and he was like stabbing a child.
‘I jumped on him, grabbed the hand that had the knife in it, put him on the ground, held him down and took the knife away from him.
‘Then a couple more people joined us and we held him until the police arrived. It took them maybe three or four minutes to arrive and then they arrested him.’
This is the moment a ‘knife man’ was arrested after a schoolgirl and a woman were attacked in Leicester Square
The guard identified himself as Abdullah, 29 (pictured) and works at the TWG tea shop in the square.
The Metropolitan Police said a man, believed to be the sole suspect, has been arrested after the attack at the resort on Monday.
The guard said: ‘I heard a scream, at that moment I saw that there was a person, about 30 or 39 years old, and he was stabbing a child.’
“I jumped on him, grabbed the hand that had the knife in it, put him on the ground, held him down and took the knife away from him.”
Police said two victims, an 11-year-old girl and a 34-year-old woman, were taken to a major trauma center after the incident.
The girl will require hospital treatment but her injuries are not life-threatening, while the woman suffered more minor injuries, the force said in a statement.
He added that there was no suggestion the incident was linked to terrorism.
It is not immediately clear whether the man was known to the victims.
Abdullah said he and his colleagues gave the girl first aid before police took control and that he did not know if the girl was with family members at the time.
“I just saw a little girl being stabbed and I tried to save her. It’s my duty to save her,” he said.
The area outside a tea shop next to the LEGO story had been cordoned off with police tape.
A police cordon has been installed around the double doors of the TWG tea shop in Leicester Square.
The square and its surrounding areas are estimated to attract around 2.5 million visitors each week and are home to shops, theatres, cinemas and restaurants.
A police cordon sealing off the crime scene surrounded the double doors of the TWG tea shop, which is next to the Lego store and opposite the M&Ms store.
In a statement, police said: ‘Officers are at the scene of a stabbing in Leicester Square.
‘A man has been arrested and is in custody.
‘We do not believe there are any outstanding suspects.
‘Two victims, an 11-year-old girl and a 34-year-old woman, were taken to hospital and we are awaiting an update on their condition.’
There were no immediate details on the severity of the injuries. Police say one man was arrested and is currently in custody.
Two women and a child were treated at the scene by London Ambulance Service paramedics.
A London Ambulance Service spokesman said: ‘We were called at 11.36am on Monday 12 August to reports of a stabbing in Leicester Square.
‘We sent resources to the scene, including an ambulance, a specialist paramedic and an incident response officer. We also sent members of our tactical response unit.
‘We treated a child and an adult at the scene and took them to a major trauma center.’
A witness said the suspect in the Leicester Square attack was a young, white, thin man wearing a black T-shirt and jeans.
The witness, who gave his name as Desmond, 45, said the attacker focused his attack on the girl, put her in a headlock and stabbed her.
Desmond, 45, who performs as Darth Vader in the square “every day”, told reporters: “When I looked over I saw a young man… stabbing her several times with a knife.”
‘Before he could jump out and go over there, two men walked by and grabbed him, threw him to the ground and the police arrived immediately. I think the woman was stabbed once as well, but the boy was the main target, stabbed multiple times. The police restrained him, brought him to his feet and handcuffed him.’
The cordon is next to the LEGO store and in front of the M&M store, and families and tourists still queue for each
A baseball cap is seen at the scene in Leicester Square, London, where a man was arrested after an 11-year-old girl and a 34-year-old woman were stabbed.
Desmond said the woman and girl appeared to be related or knew each other, as they had been together before the attack occurred.
He added: “It was terrible, I had never seen anything like it. It broke my heart, I saw the woman screaming at the top of her lungs.”
Desmond said he thought the woman, child and attacker appeared to have been together because they were dressed similarly.
Another, David Hawkes, 43, from Billingham, Teesside, was on a family trip to London to visit the Harry Potter studios when he saw armed police loading the suspect into a police van.
He said: ‘We were sitting in Leicester Square and we heard a woman scream, we crossed over and at that point the police were arriving quite quickly, followed by the ambulance crew.
‘There was a police helmet on the ground and a guy dressed in black had his hands handcuffed and was being put into a van by armed police.
‘An air ambulance was attempting to land and was circling overhead.
Desmond, 45 (pictured), who performs as Darth Vader in the square “every day”, told reporters: “When I looked over I saw a young man… who was stabbing her several times with a knife.”
He added: ‘Before he could jump out to go (there), two guys just happened to be passing by, and they grabbed him, threw him to the ground, and immediately the police arrived.’
‘The area around the Lego store was cordoned off and police and armed officers entered the TWG tearoom.’
A police cordon has been installed around the double doors of the TWG tea shop in Leicester Square.
The cordon is in place next to the LEGO store and in front of the M&M store, and families and tourists are still queuing at each one.
At least six police officers are at the site, which is popular with tourists and shoppers.
A Met spokesman said: “We do not believe there are any outstanding suspects.”
‘Two victims, an 11-year-old girl and a 34-year-old woman, were taken to hospital and we are awaiting an update on their condition.’
A London Ambulance Service spokesman said: ‘We were called at 11.36am on Monday 12 August to reports of a stabbing in Leicester Square.
‘We sent resources to the scene, including an ambulance, a specialist paramedic and an incident response officer. We also sent members of our tactical response unit.
‘We treated a child and an adult at the scene and took them to a major trauma center.’