11-year-old girl stabbed in London's Leicester Square, suspect arrested

An 11-year-old girl was seriously injured in a stabbing in London's Leicester Square on Monday, police said in a statement, adding that a man had been arrested at the scene of the attack.

While it was initially believed that the girl's mother, 34, was also hurt, it was later confirmed that blood from her daughter's injuries had been mistaken for injuries of her own, the police said on Tuesday.

The child's injuries were not life threatening, police said.

A 32-year-old man was swiftly arrested and officers were not looking for anyone else in connection with the attack.

"An urgent investigation is now ongoing and detectives are working to establish the details around exactly what happened," the police said. "At this stage we don't believe the suspect and the victims were known to each other."

Attempted murder

A 32-year old man was charged with attempted murder in the stabbing of an 11-year old girl in London's Leicester Square, according to the Met Police.

Ioan Pintaru was also charged with the possession of a bladed article, the police said in a statement early Tuesday.

Britain's police forces remain on high alert after days of riots earlier this month, which were triggered by false online posts wrongly identifying the suspected killer of three girls in northern England as a migrant.

Seeking information from witnesses

According to The Telegraph, a security guard at TWG Tea Shop intervened, wrestling the knife away from the attacker. He provided first aid to the girl before the police arrived.

Witness Desmond, a street performer, described seeing the attacker, a young white male, stab the girl and put her in a headlock. Two men who were passing by helped subdue the attacker.

Desmond added that the attacker did not resist arrest and was handcuffed without struggle. The attacker focused mainly on the girl during the assault.

Rahul, a security guard at Gregg’s, saw a lot of blood and heard the girl crying for her mother. He helped bring the girl inside the store for safety.

Footage shows the suspect in a black T-shirt and tracksuit trousers being restrained by police. Detective Chief Superintendent Christina Jessah, in charge of policing for Westminster, condemned the attack and praised the public’s bravery.

The police are investigating the motive behind the attack and have not found any links to terrorism. They are seeking information from witnesses.

The victims were taken to a major trauma centre. This attack follows another recent stabbing incident involving children in Southport.