Leicester Square: Moment knife attack suspect who 'stabbed 11-year-old' is arrested
A man has been charged with attempted murder after an 11-year-old girl was stabbed in Leicester Square.
An 11-year-old girl was rushed to hospital after she was stabbed in central London.
The young girl was taken to hospital after sustaining serious, but not life-threatening injuries during the attack on Monday afternoon in Leicester Square.
The Met Police have charged Ioan Pintaru, 32, with attempted murder. He was remanded in custody to appear at Westminster Magistrates' Court on Tuesday morning.
He has also been charged with possession of a bladed article.
The girl's mother, 34, was initially thought to have been hurt but blood from her daughter's injuries had been mistaken for injuries of her own, the force said.
The suspect was apprehended by a 29-year-old security guard, who claims he “jumped on” the knife-wielder.
The guard, who gave his name as Abdullah, 29, said: "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."
The square and the surrounding area have an estimated 2.5 million visitors every 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 beside the Lego Store and in front of the M&Ms store.
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KEY EVENTS
WATCH: Startled tourists wander past police cordon as officers stand guard
Footage taken from outside the police cordon shows throngs of tourists milling past the scene where the 11-year-old girl and the 34-year-old woman were stabbed.
Leicester Square: Police presence after two stabbed
Suspect 'young, white, skinny male', claims witness
A witness said the suspect in the attack in Leicester Square 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.”
PICTURED: The aftermath of the chaotic scene inside TWG Tea
The latest pictures from the TWG Tea shop in Leicester Square shows discarded clothing and emergency equipment.
The shop is one of two closed off by the police cordon.
WATCH: Security guard reveals astonishing bravery in stopping knife attacker
A security guard said he “jumped on” and took a knife from a man who stabbed a child in Leicester Square.
The guard, who gave his name as Abdullah, 29, said he had worked in security at the TWG Tea shop for the past “seven to eight months”.
The Metropolitan Police said a man has been arrested after a 34-year-old woman and 11-year-old girl were stabbed in the incident.
Abdullah 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.
Man describes role in helping Leicester Square stabbing victim
Baseball cap left at the scene
A baseball cap at the scene in Leicester Square, London, as a man has been arrested after an 11-year-old girl and 34-year-old woman were stabbed.
Hero shop workers shares harrowing account of how he confronted attacker
TWG Tea employee Abdullah told the BBC that he stepped in to stop the attacker.
He told the national broadcaster his face and chest was bloodied.
"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."
The 29-year-old said that some other men rushed to help him and held the man down for "four to five" minutes.
He added that he acted on instinct. "I had no time, I just didn't think", he said.
"It's horrible to be honest; I've never seen anything like that before. To do this to a kid, it's horrible."
More pictures from the scene
Officers have been pictured standing guard at the scene, as hoards tourists pass by.
MAPPED: Where is the police cordon?
Satellite maps of the area show that the police corden, erected outside the Lego Store and TWG Tea, is situated between Leicester Square station and Picadilly Circus station.
The map also shows its short walk from the capital's famous Regent's Street, Chinatown and the National Portrait Gallery.
Pictures from the scene
The latest images from Leicester Square show a police cordon erected outside the LEGO store, while officers manage the scene.
Police cordon set up outside popular family stores
According to the PA News Agency, 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.
London Ambulance Service statement
A London Ambulance Service spokesperson said a woman and child stabbed in Leicester Square had been taken to a major trauma centre.
The 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.”
Met Police statement
In a statement, the force said: “Officers are at the scene of a stabbing in Leicester Square.
“A man has been arrested and is in custody. We don’t believe there are any outstanding suspects.
“Two victims, an 11-year-old girl and a 34-year-old woman, have been taken to hospital and we await an update on their condition.”
Where did the stabbing take place?
The horrific incident took place in Leicester Square, in the heart of central London.
Tourists from around the world flock to the area for its theatres, restaurants and street entertainment.
Met Police confirm arrest
The Metropolitan Police has confirmed that a man has been arrested following the attack.
