Leicester Sq. stab victims had been ‘attacked by stranger’: Police consider mom, 34, and daughter, 11, did not know knifeman who set upon them in broad daylight earlier than hero safety guard leapt to their rescue

The ‘knifeman’ who stabbed a mom and her 11-year-old daughter in Leicester Sq. didn’t know them and was a stranger, police consider. 

The Metropolitan Police mentioned a person, 32, considered the one suspect, had been arrested after the assault within the vacationer hotspot in broad daylight on Monday.

Scotland Yard detectives at the moment don’t consider the person knew the household and try to determine his motive and what occurred. 

At this stage, the pressure says there was nothing to point it was terror-related.  

Detective Chief Superintendent Christina Jessah described the incident as ‘horrific’ and paid tribute to the members of the general public and close by workers who ‘bravely’ stepped in.   

A store safety guard, who gave his identify as Abdullah, 29, and works at TWG Tea store within the sq., was a kind of who tried to save lots of the schoolgirl as she was being attacked immediately.

That is the second a ‘knifeman’ was arrested after a schoolgirl and her mom had been attacked in Leicester Sq.

The guard gave his identify as Abdullah, 29, (pictured) and works at TWG Tea store within the sq.

Forensic officers in blue overalls had been seen inspecting the crime scene on the TWG tea store

The Metropolitan Police mentioned a person, considered the one suspect, had been arrested after the assault within the vacationer hotspot on Monday

The guard mentioned: ‘I heard a scream, at that second I noticed there was one individual, roughly [in their] mid-30s or early 30s, and he was like stabbing a child’

‘I jumped on him, held the hand wherein he was [carrying] a knife, and simply put him down on the ground and simply held him and took the knife away from him’

Met Law enforcement officials stand guard outdoors the cordon to stop members of public breaching the crime scene

He mentioned: ‘I heard a scream, at that second I noticed there was one individual, roughly [in their] mid-30s or early 30s, and he was like stabbing a child.

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

‘Then a few extra folks joined as effectively, and we simply held him till the police got here, it took possibly three to 4 minutes for the police to reach after which they only took him into custod

Police mentioned two victims, the lady and her 34-year-old mom, had been taken to a serious trauma centre following the incident.

The lady was severely injured and would require hospital remedy however her situation isn’t life threatening, whereas her mom suffered extra minor accidents, police mentioned.

The world round TWG Tea remained cordoned off all through the afternoon whereas three law enforcement officials prevented members of public breaching the crime scene.

Two forensic officers in blue overalls arrived later and had been seen inspecting a bloody piece of paper, a black baseball cap, a automotive key and two lighters which had been left on the spot the place the assault occurred.

One of many crime scene examiners later moved contained in the tea stockists the place a number of inexperienced cardboard containers lay strewn throughout the ground.

Abdullah mentioned he and his colleagues gave first support to the kid earlier than the police took over and that he didn’t know if the lady was with members of the family on the time.

‘I simply noticed a child getting stabbed and I simply tried to save lots of her. It is my obligation to only save them,’ he mentioned.

The world outdoors a tea store subsequent to the LEGO story had been cordoned off with police tape

A police cordon has been put in place surrounding the double doorways of the TWG Tea store on Leicester Sq.

DCSI Jessah mentioned those that had put themselves in danger to save lots of them ‘confirmed the perfect of London in doing so’.

‘At this stage we do not consider the suspect and the victims had been identified to one another,’ she mentioned.

‘Whereas we proceed to work to determine the suspect’s motive, at this stage there may be nothing to point the assault was terror-related.’

The sq. and the encompassing space attracts an estimated 2.5 million guests each week and are residence to retailers, theatres, cinemas and eating places.

A police cordon sealing off the crime scene surrounded the double doorways of the TWG Tea store, which is beside the Lego retailer and in entrance of the M&Ms retailer.

In an announcement, police mentioned: ‘Officers are on the scene of a stabbing in Leicester Sq..

‘A person has been arrested and is in custody.

‘We do not consider there are any excellent suspects.

‘Two victims, an 11-year-old lady and a 34-year-old girl, have been taken to hospital and we await an replace on their situation.’

There have been no rapid particulars about how badly injured they had been. Police say a person has been arrested and is at the moment being held in custody

A mom and her youngster had been handled on the scene by paramedics from London Ambulance Service

Detective Chief Superintendent Christina Jessah, in control of policing for Westminster, mentioned: ‘It is a horrific incident and our ideas are with the victims and their household. We’ll proceed to supply assist to them over the approaching days and weeks.

‘I want to pay tribute to the members of the general public, together with workers from native companies, who bravely intervened on this incident. They put themselves in danger and confirmed the perfect of London in doing so.

‘An pressing investigation is now ongoing and detectives are working to determine the small print round precisely what occurred.

‘At this stage we do not consider the suspect and the victims had been identified to one another.

‘Whereas we proceed to work to determine the suspect’s motive, at this stage there may be nothing to point the assault was terror-related.

‘Detectives can be eager to talk to anybody who was within the space and should have data that may help with their enquiries. I’d urge anybody who will help to get in contact.’

Witnesses, or anybody with footage or photographs of the incident, are requested to name 101 or to contact Crimestoppers, anonymously, on 0800 555 111, giving the reference 2745/12AUG.

A London Ambulance Service spokesman mentioned: ‘We had been referred to as at 11.36am on Monday August 12 to studies of a stabbing at Leicester Sq..

‘We despatched assets to the scene, together with an ambulance crew, a complicated paramedic and an incident response officer. We additionally dispatched members of our tactical response unit.

‘We handled a toddler and an grownup on the scene and took them to a serious trauma centre.’

A witness mentioned the suspect within the assault in Leicester Sq. was a younger, white, skinny male carrying a black T-shirt and denims.

The witness, who gave his identify as Desmond, 45, and performs as Darth Vader on the sq. ‘every single day’, instructed reporters: ‘Once I regarded to my facet I noticed a younger man… was stabbing her a number of [times] with a knife.

‘Earlier than I may soar all the way down to go [over there], two guys had been simply passing, and so they seize him, they put him on the bottom, and instantly the police got here. I feel the girl was additionally stabbed as soon as, however the youngster was essentially the most focused, he was stabbing the kid a number of instances. Police held him and stood him up and cuffed him.’

The cordon is beside the LEGO retailer and in entrance of the M&M retailer, and households and vacationers are nonetheless standing in queues for every

A baseball cap on the scene in Leicester Sq., London, as a person has been arrested after an 11-year-old lady and 34-year-old girl had been stabbed

Desmond added: ‘It was so horrible, I’ve by no means seen a factor like that. I used to be heartbroken, I noticed the girl was screaming with all her power.’

One other, David Hawkes, 43, from Billingham, Teesside, was on a household journey to London to go to the Harry Potter Studios when he noticed armed cops bundle the suspect in to a police van.

He mentioned: ‘We had been sat in Leicester Sq. and heard a feminine scream, we walked throughout at that time police had been simply arriving fairly promptly adopted by ambulance crew.

‘There was a police helmet on the ground and a man carrying black had his arms in cuffs and armed police had been placing him in a van.

‘An air ambulance was attempting to land and it was circling overhead.

Desmond, 45, (pictured) who performs as Darth Vader on the sq. ‘every single day’, instructed reporters: ‘Once I regarded to my facet I noticed a younger man… was stabbing her a number of [times] with a knife’

He added: ‘Earlier than I may soar all the way down to go [over there], two guys had been simply passing, and so they seize him, they put him on the bottom, and instantly the police got here’

‘The world round Lego retailer was taped off and police and armed police went contained in the TWG tearoom.’

A police cordon has been put in place surrounding the double doorways of the TWG Tea store on Leicester Sq..

The cordon is beside the LEGO retailer and in entrance of the M&M retailer, and households and vacationers are nonetheless standing in queues for every. 

At the very least six law enforcement officials are on the scene, which is fashionable amongst vacationers and customers.

A Met spokesman mentioned: ‘We do not consider there are any excellent suspects.

‘Two victims, an 11-yr-old lady and a 34-yr-old girl, have been taken to hospital and we await an replace on their situation.’

A London Ambulance Service spokesman mentioned: ‘We had been referred to as at 11.36am on Monday August 12 to studies of a stabbing at Leicester Sq..

‘We despatched assets to the scene, together with an ambulance crew, a complicated paramedic and an incident response officer. We additionally dispatched members of our tactical response unit.

‘We handled a toddler and an grownup on the scene and took them to a serious trauma centre.’