A hero security guard jumped in and disarmed a knifeman in London’s Leicester Square after an 11-year-old girl and a 34-year-old woman were stabbed. Abdullah, 29, who works at TWG Tea shop, 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 Metropolitan Police said the two victims had been taken to hospital with non-life threatening injuries. A man is in custody and is thought to be the only suspect but the force ruled out the incident is terror-related.
Leicester Square stabbing: Hero security guard disarms knifeman after girl, 11, and woman stabbed
Man describes moment he disarmed Leicester Square knifeman
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A hero security guard jumped in and disarmed a knifeman in London’s Leicester Square after a 11-year-old girl and a 34-year-old woman were stabbed.
Abdullah, 29, who works at TWG Tea shop, 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 Metropolitan Police said the two victims had been taken to hospital with non-life threatening injuries. A man is in custody and is thought to be the only suspect but the force ruled out the incident is terror-related.
A police cordon was put in place surrounding the double doors of the TWG Tea shop beside the LEGOstore and in front of the M&M store, and families and tourists still stood in queues for each. At least six police officers were at the scene.
Did you see what happened? Email holly.evans@independent.co.uk
Key Points
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Recap: Everything we know so far
Here’s a roundup of everything we know about the attack in Leicester Square on Monday:
An 11-year-old girl and a 34-year-old woman were stabbed at about 11.35am on Monday, 12 August, in Leicester Square opposite the popular M&M store.A man, aged 32, has been arrested and remains in custodyThe victims and suspect are not known to each other. The incident is not being treated as terror-related and the police are not searching for anyone else.Both victims were taken to a major trauma centre but did not sustain life-threatening injuries. The child required hospital treatment while the woman received more minor injuries.
Alex Ross13 August 2024 04:00
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Security guard describes moment he disarmed Leicester Square knifeman
Man describes moment he disarmed Leicester Square knifeman
Holly Evans13 August 2024 02:00
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Girl, 11, and woman stabbed in Leicester Square as man arrested
Along with the assistance of other members of the public, Abdullah, 29, managed to detain the suspect until the arrival of emergency services, who arrested him at the scene.
Both victims were taken to major trauma centres, with the young girl requiring hospital treatment for her injuries, which are not life-threatening, and the woman suffering more minor wounds.
Read the full report here:
Holly Evans13 August 2024 00:00
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Recap: Everything we know so far
Here’s a roundup of everything we know about the attack in Leicester Square on Monday:
An 11-year-old girl and a 34-year-old woman were stabbed at about 11.35am on Monday, 12 August, in Leicester Square opposite the popular M&M store.A man, aged 32, has been arrested and remains in custodyThe victims and suspect are not known to each other. The incident is not being treated as terror-related and the police are not searching for anyone else.Eyewitnesses described hearing the woman scream, with the suspect appearing to target the young girl and attacking her repeatedly. Both victims were taken to a major trauma centre but did not sustain life-threatening injuries. The child required hospital treatment while the woman received more minor injuries.
Holly Evans12 August 2024 22:02
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Mayor of London receiving regular updates after stabbing
A spokesperson for the Mayor of London, said: “The Mayor’s thoughts are with the mother and daughter who were victims of a horrific attack that took place in central London earlier today.
“An 11-year-old girl is seriously injured and remains in hospital, whilst a man has been arrested and is in custody.
“The Mayor is in touch with senior Met officers and is receiving regular updates on this incident.”
Holly Evans12 August 2024 20:39
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Shopworker sees girl with ‘a lot of blood’ on her face
A shopworker heard screaming outside and said she discovered the girl on the ground with wounds to her face, the Mirror reports.
She said: “I heard screaming and then I saw the girl with a lot of blood all over her face.
“Two security guards held him down. It seemed like a random attack. He didn’t fight the security guards. He did not even resist.”
Holly Evans12 August 2024 19:46
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Where did the attack take place?
Holly Evans12 August 2024 19:10
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Witness saw man being bundled into police van
Another eyewitness, David Hawkes, 43, from Billingham, Teesside, was on a family trip to London to visit the Harry Potter Studios when he saw armed cops bundle the suspect in to a police van.
He told MailOnline: “We were sat in Leicester Square and heard a female scream, we walked across at that point police were just arriving quite promptly followed by ambulance crew.
“There was a police helmet on the floor and a guy wearing black had his hands in cuffs and armed police were putting him in a van.
“An air ambulance was trying to land and it was circling overhead.”
Holly Evans12 August 2024 18:25
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Witness saw suspect lying in wait before child heard ‘screaming’
One witness told The Sun that the suspect was seen lying in wait at the busy tourist hotspot hours before he struck this afternoon.
Dad-of-two security guard Abu Tauhid, 35, said: “I saw him walking around the square this morning. He was on his own, just pacing around.
“I spotted him eating something like a wrap. He was looking out for someone.
“I saw police arrest him and then they took him away.
“I heard the screaming of a child and then the security worker at the tea shop came out and wrestled him to the ground.”
The suspect was reportedly seen pacing near the scene for hours before the stabbing (James Manning/PA Wire)
Holly Evans12 August 2024 17:41
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Security guard describes moment he disarmed Leicester Square knifeman
Man describes moment he disarmed Leicester Square knifeman
Holly Evans12 August 2024 16:50
Read the full story on www.independent.co.uk
https://www.independent.co.uk/news/uk/crime/leicester-square-stabbing-attack-suspect-girl-woman-police-b2595063.html