Man charged with attempted murder in stabbing of 11-year-old girl in a London tourism hot spot

LONDON (AP) — A man accused of stabbing an 11-year-old girl in London’s bustling theater district was charged Tuesday with attempted murder.

Ioan Pintaru put the girl in a headlock and stabbed her eight times, seriously wounding her, prosecutors said.

The girl was hospitalized and required surgery for wounds to her face, shoulder, wrist and neck area, prosecutor David Burns said.

Authorities haven't offered a motive for the attack, but police said there was no suggestion the stabbing was terror-related and they don’t believe the suspect knew the mother or daughter.

Australia's Department of Foreign Affairs said Thursday that officials were supporting two Australians injured in London. No further details would be supplied for privacy reasons, the statement said.

The attack happened around 11:30 a.m. Monday in Leicester Square, a tourism hot spot, outside a shop selling tea.

An employee of the tea shop and other bystanders jumped on the suspect and held him to the ground until police arrived. A steak knife was recovered.

“Fortunately members of the public intervened, which prevented any further injury being made to the child," Burns said.

The girl’s mother wasn't wounded, though she initially appeared to be because she was covered in her daughter’s blood, police said.

Pintaru, 32, a Romanian citizen, who also faces a knife charge, was held in custody. He was ordered to appear on Sept. 10 at the Central Criminal Court known as the Old Bailey.

The stabbing occurred during a recent rise in knife crime in Britain, which is on edge after days of violence as crowds spouting anti-immigrant and Islamophobic slogans clashed with police in dozens of cities and towns.

The disturbances were fueled by far-right activists, who used social media to spread misinformation about a mass stabbing that killed three girls during a Taylor Swift-themed dance event.

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Associated Press writer Charlotte Graham-McLay contributed from Wellington, New Zealand.