Girl, mum stabbed in London tourist hub

An 11 year old and her mother have been stabbed in the heart of a famous London tourist area as tensions soar following the murder of three girls.

An 11-year-old girl and her 34-year-old mother have been stabbed in the middle of one of London’s busiest tourist destinations.

A man who halted the attack as the daughter was being stabbed it was his “duty to save them”.

The attack happened on Monday, local time, in Leicester Square which is known for its star-studded film premieres and is minutes from Piccadilly Circus and Soho.

An area of Leicester Square opposite M&M’s World was cordoned off.

Police have arrested a 32-year-old man and taken him into custody. There is no information on a motive but London’s Metropolitan Police has said it’s not thought to be terror related.

Both victims are expected to make full recoveries but the girl will need surgery.

It comes after riots engulfed many British cities fulled on by far right misinformation following the deaths of three girls at a dance class in England's north west.

Police officers standing by a cordoned off area in Leicester Square, London. A woman and an 11-year-old girl were hospitalised after a stabbing attack. (Photo by BENJAMIN CREMEL / AFP)

The girl and woman were taken to hospital where they are expected to make a full recovery. (Photo by BENJAMIN CREMEL / AFP)

The London Ambulance Service spokesman said paramedics were called at 11:36, local time, Monday (8.36pm AEST).

Newspaper The Sun has claimed to have captured images of the suspect’s arrest in the West End area of London’s CBD.

The man, seen cuffed behind his back, was first apprehended by a security worker named Abdullah at a nearby tea shop.

“I heard a scream and I just went outside and saw one guy had a knife,” Abdullah told the BBC.

“The moment I saw it I just jumped on that guy and grabbed his hand… and put him down on the floor and kicked the knife away from him.”

Man arrested after stabbing attack in Central London. Picture: The Sun/Supplied.

‘Duty to save them’

Several other people came to help hold the man down.

“To do this to a kid, it’s horrible,” he said.

“I just saw a kid getting stabbed and I just tried to save her.

“It’s my duty to just save them.”

One witness told The Sun the suspect was loitering at the busy tourist hotspot hours before he struck this afternoon.

Dad-of-two Abu Tauhid, 35, said: “I saw him walking around the square this morning. He was on his own, just pacing around”.

“I spotted him eating something like a wrap. He was looking out for someone.

“I heard the screaming of a child and then the security worker at the tea shop came out and wrestled him to the ground.”

The attack happened in Leicester Square, one of London’s busiest tourist areas. (Photo by BENJAMIN CREMEL / AFP)

In an update, Police said the girl will need hospital treatment but her injuries are not life-threatening.

The adult woman suffered more minor injuries.

“At this stage, there is no suggestion that the incident is terror-related,” a Police spokesman said.

– With The Sun.