An 11-year-old girl was rushed to hospital after she was stabbed in central London.

       The young girl was taken to hospital after sustaining serious, but not life-threatening injuries during the attack on Monday afternoon in Leicester Square.

       The Met Police have charged Ioan Pintaru, 32, with attempted murder. He was remanded in custody to appear at Westminster Magistrates' Court on Tuesday morning.

       He has also been charged with possession of a bladed article.

       The girl's mother, 34, was initially thought to have been hurt but blood from her daughter's injuries had been mistaken for injuries of her own, the force said.

       The suspect was apprehended by a 29-year-old security guard, who claims he “jumped on” the knife-wielder.

       The guard, who gave his name as Abdullah, 29, said: "I heard a scream, at that moment I saw there was one person, roughly (in their) mid-30s or early 30s, and he was like stabbing a kid – I jumped on him, held the hand in which he was (carrying) a knife, and just put him down on the floor and just held him and took the knife away from him."

       The square and the surrounding area have an estimated 2.5 million visitors every week and are home to shops, theatres, cinemas and restaurants.

       A police cordon sealing off the crime scene surrounded the double doors of the TWG Tea shop, which is beside the Lego Store and in front of the M&Ms store.

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