A 32-year-old man has been charged with attempted murder after stabbing an 11-year-old girl in Leicester Square in central London, the Metropolitan Police said in a statement today.

Ioan Pintaro is also charged with possession of a weapon because he was in possession of the knife.

An 11-year-old girl was seriously injured in the incident which took place yesterday, Monday, shortly after 11:30 (local time, 13:30 Greek time) in Leicester Square, but her life is not in danger, the police had announced.

While it was initially believed that the girl’s 34-year-old mother was also injured, it was later confirmed that the blood on her was from her daughter’s wounds and not her own, the police announced today.

The police added that they do not favor the scenario of the terrorist attack and clarified that the suspect and the victim did not seem to know each other.

The police highlighted in their statement the courage of workers in shops in the area, who intervened to protect the child and bring the perpetrator under control.

Abdullah, a private security company worker, said he intervened after he “heard a scream” and saw a man attacking the child: “I jumped on him, grabbed his hand that wasn’t holding the knife and knocked him down,” he explained, speaking in the PA agency.