Moment Leicester Square suspect is arrested after girl, 11, and her mother, 34, were stabbed – as hero security guard reveals how he tackled knifeman

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 today when she was attacked by a man with a knife.

The Metropolitan Police said a 32-year-old man, believed to be the sole suspect, has been arrested following the attack at the tourist attraction on Monday.

The guard, who gave his name as Abdullah, 29, and who works at the TWG Tea shop on the square, said: ‘I heard a scream, at that moment I saw there was one person, about [in their] mid 30s or early 30s, and he stabbed a child.

‘I jumped on him, holding the hand he was sitting in [carrying] a knife, and just put him on the ground, held him down and took the knife away from him.

“Then a couple more people came and we 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.”

According to police, two victims, an 11-year-old girl and her 34-year-old mother, were taken to a trauma center after the incident.

The girl was seriously injured and required hospital treatment, but her condition is not life-threatening. Her mother suffered less serious injuries, police said.

There were no indications that the incident was related to terrorism.

It is not believed that the victims knew the man.

Abdullah said he and his colleagues administered first aid to the child before police took over and that he did not know if the girl was with family members at the time.

“I just saw a child get stabbed and I was just trying to save her. It’s my duty to just save them,” he said.

The square and its surroundings attract an estimated 2.5 million visitors each week and are home to shops, theatres, cinemas and restaurants.

The crime scene was cordoned off by police around the double doors of the TWG Tea store, which is located next to the Lego store and in front of the M&M’s store.

Police said in a statement: ‘Officers are at the scene of a stabbing incident in Leicester Square.

A man has been arrested and detained.

‘We do not believe there are any suspects left.

‘Two victims, an 11-year-old girl and a 34-year-old woman, have been taken to hospital and we are awaiting an update on their condition.’

Detective Chief Superintendent Christina Jessah, responsible for Westminster Police, said: ‘This is a horrific incident and our thoughts are with the victims and their families. We will continue to support them in the days and weeks ahead.

‘I would like to pay tribute to the members of the public, including staff from local businesses, who bravely intervened in this incident, putting themselves at risk and showcasing the best of London in the process.

‘An urgent investigation is currently underway and detectives are trying to determine the details of exactly what happened.

‘At this time, we do not believe that the suspect and the victims knew each other.

‘While we are still trying to determine the suspect’s motive, there is currently nothing to indicate that the attack was terrorism-related.

‘Detectives would like to speak to anyone who was in the area and has information that could assist with their investigation. I would urge anyone who can help to get in touch.’

Witnesses or anyone with footage or photographs of the incident are asked to call 101 or contact Crimestoppers anonymously on 0800 555 111. Please quote reference 2745/12AUG.

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 have sent resources to the scene of the accident, including an ambulance crew, an advanced paramedic and an incident response officer. We have also sent members of our tactical response unit.

“We treated a child and an adult on the scene and transported 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, and performs as Darth Vader on the square every day, told reporters: ‘When I looked over, I saw a young man… stabbing her several times [times] with a knife.

Before I could jump down to go [over there]two guys just walked by, and they grabbed him, they put him on the ground, and the police came right away. I think the woman was stabbed once too, but the child was the main target, he stabbed the child multiple times. The police held him down, stood him up, and cuffed him.

Desmond added: ‘It was so horrible, I’ve never seen anything like it. I was devastated, I saw the woman screaming with all her might.’

Another man, David Hawkes, 43, from Billingham, Teesside, was travelling to London with his family to visit the Harry Potter Studios when he saw armed officers push the suspect into a police van.

He said: ‘We were in Leicester Square and heard a woman screaming. We walked across and at that point the police arrived quickly, followed by ambulance crews.

‘There was a police helmet on the ground and a man dressed in black had his hands cuffed and armed officers put him in a van.

‘A trauma helicopter tried to land and circled above our heads.

‘The area around the Lego store was cordoned off and police and armed officers entered the TWG tearoom.’

A police cordon has been placed around the double doors of the TWG Tea shop on Leicester Square.

The cordoned off area is next to the LEGO store and in front of the M&M store. There are still families and tourists queuing outside each store.

There are at least six police officers on site, which is a popular event among tourists and shoppers.

A Met spokesman said: ‘We do not believe there are any suspects left.

‘Two victims, an 11-year-old girl and a 34-year-old woman, have been 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 have sent resources to the scene of the accident, including an ambulance crew, an advanced paramedic and an incident response officer. We have also sent members of our tactical response unit.

“We treated a child and an adult on the scene and transported them to a major trauma center.”