A man has been charged with attempted murder after an 11-year-old girl was stabbed in central London. Ioan Pintaru, 32 and of no fixed abode, has appeared before Westminster Magistrates’ Court in Central London , after he was charged with attempted murder and possession of a blade. The incident occurred in the tourist spot of Leicester Square, with an 11-year-old girl being rushed to hospital for non-life-threatening injuries.
The Metropolitan Police in London have said that the attack was random and not terror related, with a security guard at the shop where the incident occurred being hailed as a hero for stepping in and stopping the attack. ‘This is a horrific incident and our thoughts are with the victims and their family,’ Detective Chief Superintendent Christina Jessah said. ‘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.’ Leicester Square is one of the most popular tourist destinations in London, seeing over 2.
5million visitors per week. The attack happened at the TWG tea shop in the middle of Leicester Square, which offers ‘high quality’ and ‘luxury’ tea and accessories. ‘Police were called to Leicester Square at 11:34hrs on Monday, 12 August following reports of a stabbing,’ a Metropolitan Police spokesperson said.
‘An 11-year-old girl was found with stab wounds. She was taken to hospital where her injuries, while serious, were assessed as non-life threatening.’ ‘It was initially believed that the girl’s mother, a 34-year-old woman, was also hurt however it was later confirmed that blood from her daughter’s injuries had been mistaken for injuries of her own.
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