An 11-year-old girl and a 34-year-old woman were stabbed in Leicester Square in London, England on Monday, police said. X.
Police say the man was arrested and is in custody.
“I saw a child get stabbed and I just tried to help her.”
“At this time there is no indication that this incident is terrorism-related,” police said. Added.
The girl “required treatment in hospital but her injuries are not life-threatening,” police said, adding that a woman, who was also taken to hospital, “suffered further minor injuries.”
Police also said they “do not believe there are any outstanding suspects.”
Police officers stand in a cordoned off area of London’s famous Leicester Square after an 11-year-old girl and a 34-year-old man were stabbed on August 12, 2024.Photo by Benjamin Kremer/AFP via Getty Images
A security guard was killed during the stabbing on Monday. He told the Guardian He “jumped” and took the knife from the man who had allegedly stabbed the child.
The paper added that a security guard, named only as Abdullah, 29, told the PA news agency: “We heard screaming and there was about one person there at the time. [in their] He was in his mid-30s or early 30s and it looked like he was going to stab a kid. I jumped on him and grabbed the hand he was holding. [carrying] “We caught him with the knife, took him to the floor, held him down and took the knife away from him. Then a few more people joined in and held him down until the police arrived. It took about three or four minutes for the police to arrive and then they had him in custody.”
You can watch a video report of the incident here here; It also includes footage of officers detaining a possible suspect (whose face is blurred), as well as interviews with security guards.
The Guardian reports that another tour bus company employee, Joy Akan, took video of the suspect after his arrest, describing him as “a slim man wearing a black T-shirt with the Abbey Road logo on the front and black tracksuit pants. The video was timestamped at 11:41am (6:41am EST).” Many video clip A photo posted to X shows an unblurred image of the alleged suspect being detained.
A police cordon was set around the double doors of TWG Teashop and at least six officers were at the scene, according to the Guardian.
Photo: Leon Neal/Getty Images
Abdullah told the paper that he had been working as a security guard at TWG Teashop for the past “seven to eight months”, and that his colleagues administered first aid to the girl before police arrived.
“I saw a child being stabbed and I just tried to save her,” he told the Guardian. “It’s my duty to save them.”
Ezzat Katerzis, who works for a tourist bus company, told the paper that the attacker appeared to be “mentally disturbed” and “suddenly stabbed the girl, who was with her family.”
Mr Caterzis told the Guardian that the girl appeared to have been stabbed near her right eye and that “blood was streaming from her face”, but added that “she is expected to survive”. Police picked her up and she stood up. [on her] They took her inside [TWG Tea] When I got to the store the paramedics had arrived.”
Katelzis also told the paper that the attacker was “just a skinny guy. He didn’t say anything when they arrested him and took him to the van. It seemed like he was doing drugs or something. I don’t think it was a robbery. He just started stabbing her for no reason.”
Just two weeks ago, on July 29th, a 17-year-old man was charged with killing three people and injuring numerous others in a mass stabbing attack at a Taylor Swift-themed children’s dance class in the English seaside town of Southport.
Authorities initially said there was no evidence that the Southport knife attack was motivated by terrorism, which angered many who accused the government of suppressing evidence. Identified Police identified Axel Rudakubana as a suspect and charged him with three counts of murder and 10 counts of attempted murder. Authorities confirmed he was from Cardiff but noted he was of Rwandan parentage. Unrest and violence erupted in the days following the stabbing, spreading across the UK.
This is an ongoing news story and updates will be added.
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