UK: Woman and girl stabbed in London, 1 man arrested

WEB DESK: The victims, including an 11-year-old girl, have been taken to the hospital. The incident comes with the UK still on edge after a deadly stabbing prompted a week of violent, far-right protests.

Police in London have arrested a man after a 34-year-old woman and an 11-year-old girl were stabbed in the city’s Leicester Square.

“Officers are at the scene of a stabbing in Leicester Square. A man has been arrested and is in custody,” read a police statement, adding that the two victims were taken to hospital.

In a later statement, police said the girl would remain in the hospital for treatment of injuries which are “not believed to be life-threatening,” while the woman suffered “more minor injuries.”

What do we know about the incident?

Police initially provided no details as to the identity of the suspect but said the incident was “not believed, at this stage, to be terror-related.”

One witness told Sky News in the UK that a man “attacked the woman first” and then held the girl in what was described as a “headlock” before being pinned down by two members of the public until the police arrived.

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The incident comes after a week of violent, far-right protests in the United Kingdom following a deadly knife attack at a children’s dance class in the northwestern town of Southport, where three young girls were killed.

Leicester Square is one of the busiest parts of London and is a popular tourist attraction.