Leicester Square: Girl, 11 and mum, 34, stabbed in London (2024)

A shop security guard has described how he helped save an 11-year-old girl as she was being attacked by a knifeman in London's Leicester Square.

In a statement, the Met Police said a 32-year-old man had been arrested and taken into custody after the girl and her 34-year-old mother were stabbed.

Abdullah, 29, who works at TWG tea in Leicester Square, said he intervened to stop the attacker and, with help from colleagues, gave first aid to the child.

The Met said it was "not looking for anyone else" in connection with the attack and does not believe the victims knew their attacker. It also said at this stage there was no suggestion the stabbing was terror-related.

The force added the girl required hospital treatment for "serious" but not life-threatening injuries, while her mother's wounds were "more minor".

Police officers remain at the scene, which is in one of the busiest tourist districts in the capital.

Abdullah told the BBC he had heard "a scream", so he "jumped on the attacker... and kicked the knife away from him".

"I heard a scream and I just went outside and saw one guy had a knife," he explained.

"The moment I saw it I just jumped on that guy and grabbed his hand... and put him down on the floor and kicked the knife away from him."

He said a couple of other men also came over to help and held the man down for "four to five" minutes, adding he decided to take action because "I had no time, I just didn't think".

"It's horrible to be honest; I've never seen anything like that before," Abdullah said.

"To do this to a kid, it's horrible."

He added he and his colleagues gave first aid to the child before the police took over.

"I just saw a kid getting stabbed and I just tried to save her," he said.

"It's my duty to just save them."

Another eyewitness, called Jacqueline, said she "heard a loud scream" and ran straight over to find a "horrific" scene.

"I saw a young girl on the floor with her mum... and a few guys tackled the man to the floor.

"It just happened so quickly. Police arrived and then the ambulance arrived.

"I could see there was a lot of blood."

She added: "This is where I’m based all the time, so I feel scared. Things can happen anywhere, it doesn't matter where you are.

"Normally there’s a lot of police around this area. It’s a tourist attraction."

Desmond, 45, who performs as Darth Vader on the square "every day" said the woman and girl had been together before the attack happened.

"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," he said.

A man who works opposite the scene, and who did not want to be identified, said he had seen the suspect earlier in the day.

"He was standing, doing nothing, eating," he said.

Soon after the attack, several police officers were still at the scene next to the Lego store on Swiss Court, just off the square itself.

Objects including a green lighter, black cap and bloodied napkins could be seen on the ground behind crime scene tape, with a small crowd of people gathered in the distance.

Medical kits could be seen inside the TWG tea shop.

A London Ambulance Service spokesperson said paramedics were called at 11:36 BST to reports of a stabbing.

They said: "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."

Det Ch Supt Christina Jessah from the Met paid tribute to the staff and members of the public "who bravely intervened in this incident", saying: "They put themselves at risk and showed the best of London in doing so."

She added investigators were working to establish the suspect's motive for the attack, and urged anyone who witnessed what happened or had any information to contact police.

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