Terrified witness tells how he bravely tackled 'knifeman' who stabbed mum, 34, and her daughter, 11, on Leicester Square

A GUARDIAN “stepped in” and took a knife from a man who stabbed a mum and daughter in Leicester Square.

Abdullah, 29, said he heroically tackled and disarmed the attacker after hearing “screaming” in the busy tourist hub.

Abdullah told how he knocked the ‘knife’ to the ground

A mum and her daughter were stabbed in London’s Leicester Square todayCredit: PA

The police cordoned off part of the square Credit: PA

It comes after a 32-year-old man, believed to be unknown to the two victims, was arrested moments after the stabbing in central London.

The 11-year-old girl and her 34-year-old mother were rushed to a major trauma center as emergency services arrived at the busy tourist center at around 11.34am.

Abdullah, 29, said he had been working in security at the nearby TWG Tea shop for the past “seven to eight months”.

Recalling the traumatic event, he added: “I heard a scream, at that moment I saw a person, probably in his mid-30s or early 30s.

“It was as if he had stabbed the kid – I jumped on him, held his hand in which he was carrying a knife.

“I just put him on the floor, held him and took the knife from him.

“Then a couple of other people joined in and we just held him until the police arrived.

“It took maybe three to four minutes for the police to come and then they just took him into custody.

“I just saw a kid stab herself and I just tried to save her. It’s my duty to save them.”

Abdullah and his colleagues gave the girl first aid until the police took over, he said.

Moment The ‘master’ from Leicester Square who stabbed a girl (11) and a woman (34) in front of terrified tourists has been arrested

Officers remain in the pedestrian square in the West End – one of the capital’s busiest tourist districts.

Officers said they are not looking for anyone else in connection with the attack.

Detective Chief Superintendent Christina Jessah, in charge of Westminster Police, said: “This is a terrible incident and our thoughts are with the victims and their families.

“We will continue to support them in the coming days and weeks.

“I would like to acknowledge the citizens, including employees of local companies, who bravely intervened in this incident.

“They put themselves in danger and showed the best of London.

“An urgent investigation is underway and detectives are working to establish the details of exactly what happened.

“At this stage, we do not believe that the suspect and the victims knew each other.

“While we continue to work to establish the suspect’s motive, there is no indication at this stage that the attack was terrorism-related.”

In the latest report, officers said the girl was “seriously injured” but not life-threatening.

The adult woman suffered minor injuries, Westminster police said.

A man who works opposite the scene, who did not want to be identified, said he had seen the suspect earlier in the day.

He added: “He was standing, doing nothing, eating and talking to himself as I saw.”

He recorded the arrest of the man in front of the TWG Tea shop and said he recognized him since morning.

The video shows the police detaining a thin man wearing a black T-shirt with white text and dark pants.

Another witness told how the assailant directed his attack on the girl with a knife, hit her in the head and stabbed her.

Desmond, 45, who performs as Darth Vader in the square “every day”, told reporters: “When I looked to my side, I saw a young man … stabbing her several (times) with a knife.

“Before I could jump down to go (there), two guys were just walking by, they grabbed him, threw him to the ground and immediately the police came.

“I think the woman was also stabbed once, but the child was the most targeted, he stabbed the child several times. The police held him upright and handcuffed him.”