London stabbing: Girl, 11, woman stabbed at Leicester Square; suspect arrested

London, United Kingdom

Just days after the Southport stabbing incident that threw the United Kingdom into a period of unrest, an 11-year-old girl and a 34-year-old woman were stabbed in London's Leicester Square.

A 32-year-old man has been detained by the Met Police and they believe there weren't "any outstanding suspects." The girl is hospitalised, and her injuries are not life-threatening. The woman also sustained minor injuries and is undergoing treatment.

The Met police said that the incident was not terror-related. “Officers are at the scene of a stabbing in Leicester Square. A man has been arrested and is in custody. 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,” police said in a statement.

Shortly after the attack, several police officers were still at the scene next to the Lego store on Swiss Court, just off the square itself. A London Ambulance Service spokesperson said paramedics were called at 11:36 BST to reports of a stabbing.

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“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," they told BBC.

Soon after the incident, multiple police officers remained on the scene near the Lego store on Swiss Court, close to the square. A spokesperson from the London Ambulance Service stated that paramedics were alerted at 11:36 BST to a reported stabbing.

This incident comes at a time when the situation in UK remains volatile, with rioters clashing with police and chanting anti-immigration and Islamophobic slogans. The unrest has been fuelled by right-wing activists spreading false information on social media about a knife attack that left three girls dead at a Taylor Swift-themed dance class.

(With inputs from agencies)