A girl and a woman have been stabbed in the heart of London, the Metropolitan Police have confirmed.
The attack occurred in broad daylight just after 11:30am this morning.
Met Police confirmed the girl was aged just 11 and the woman, 34.
The force also confirmed a man had been arrested.
The Met arrested a man at the scene
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Girl, 11, and woman, 34, stabbed in broad daylight attack in Leicester SquarePAIn a statement, the force said: “Officers are at the scene of a stabbing in LeicesterSquare.
“A man has been arrested and is in custody.
“We don’t believe there are any outstanding suspects.
“Two victims, an 11-year-old girl and a 34-year-old woman, have been taken to hospital and we await an update on their condition.”
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General view of Leicester square where police cordon is in place
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Police officers at the scene of double stabbing in Leicester Square
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GB News understands that Met Police have ruled out a connection to terror.
Detective Chief Superintendent Christina Jessah, in charge of policing for Westminster, said: “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."
A London Ambulance Service spokesperson said a woman and child stabbed in Leicester Square had been taken to a major trauma centre.
The spokesperson said: “We were called at 11.36am on Monday 12 August 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.
Police officer at scene of stabbing in Leicester Square
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Discarded clothing in the TWG Tea shop in Leicester Square
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“We treated a child and an adult at the scene and took them to a major trauma centre.”
In an update, Met Police confirmed the 11-year-old will require hospital treatment but her injuries are not life-threatening while the 34-year-old woman suffered more minor injuries.
A police cordon has been put in place surrounding the double doors of the TWG Tea shop on Leicester Square.
The cordon is beside the LEGO store and in front of the M&M store, and families and tourists are still standing in queues for each.
At least six police officers are at the scene.
The square and the surrounding area have an estimated 2.5 million visitors every week and are home to shops, theatres, cinemas and restaurants.
Baseball hat left at scene
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Emergency medical equipment in the TWG Tea shop in Leicester Square
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Describing the attack, one security guard who was in the area at the time said he “jumped on” and took a knife from a man who stabbed a child.
The security guard added that a few others joined in to restrain the attacker and held him until police arrived.
He and his colleagues then provided first aid to the child before police arrived.
“I just saw a kid getting stabbed and I just tried to save her. It’s my duty to just save them,” the security guard said.
He added that he did not know if the girl was with family members at the time.
One eyewitness said the woman and girl appeared to be family and were together before the attack happened.
Speaking on the attack he said : “It was so terrible, I’ve never seen a thing like that. I was heartbroken, I saw the woman was screaming with all her strength.”