Woman and child stabbed in Leicester Square
A man has been arrested and is in custody
Last updated 12th Aug 2024
A man has been arrested after an 11-year-old girl and 34-year-old woman were stabbed in London's Leicester Square.
The Metropolitan Police said the two victims had been taken to hospital but were unable to give details about how badly injured they were.
The man is in custody and he is thought to be the only suspect.
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.
The police statement goes on to say:
"The girl will require hospital treatment but her injuries are not life threatening, while the woman suffered more minor injuries."
It added there was no suggestion that the incident was terror-related.
It is currently unclear whether the man was known to the victims.
A London Ambulance Service spokesman said: "We were called at 11.36am on Monday August 12 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."
“I would like to pay tribute to the members of the public... who bravely intervened in this incident"
Detective Chief Superintendent Christina Jessah, in charge of policing for Westminster, said: “This is a horrific incident and our thoughts are with the victims and their family. We will continue to provide support to them over the coming days and weeks.
“I would like to pay tribute to the members of the public, including staff from local businesses, who bravely intervened in this incident. They put themselves at risk and showed the best of London in doing so.
“An urgent investigation is now ongoing and detectives are working to establish the details around exactly what happened.
“At this stage we don’t believe the suspect and the victims were known to each other.
“While we continue to work to establish the suspect’s motive, at this stage there is nothing to indicate the attack was terror-related.
“Detectives will be keen to speak to anyone who was in the area and may have information that can assist with their enquiries. I would urge anyone who can help to get in touch.”
Witnesses, or anyone with footage or photos of the incident, are asked to call 101 or to contact Crimestoppers, anonymously, on 0800 555 111, giving the reference 2745/12AUG.