A man in London’s busy theater district has been formally charged with attempted murder after allegedly stabbing an 11-year-old girl. Ioan Pintaru is accused of putting the girl in a headlock and stabbing her eight times, resulting in serious injuries that required plastic surgery on her face, shoulder, wrist, and neck. Despite the severity of the incident, authorities have not provided a clear motive for the attack. However, the police have stated that they do not believe the assault to be terrorism-related, and there is no evidence suggesting a prior relationship between the suspect and the victim. The attack took place at around 11:30 a.m. on Monday in Leicester Square, a popular tourist area, outside a tea shop. A bystander along with employees from the tea shop managed to apprehend the suspect by pinning him down until police arrived. The authorities found a steak knife at the scene. Prosecutors emphasized the prompt intervention of the public, which prevented further harm to the child. Despite the girl’s mother being covered in her daughter’s blood during the incident, she fortunately did not sustain any physical injuries. The suspect, 32-year-old Ioan Pintaru, who holds Romanian citizenship, is also facing a separate charge related to the possession of a knife. He is currently in custody and has a scheduled appearance at the Central Criminal Court, also known as the Old Bailey, on September 10. The stabbing incident occurred amid an alarming surge in knife-related crimes in the United Kingdom. The country has been on edge following a series of violent incidents, including clashes between law enforcement and crowds inciting anti-immigrant and Islamophobic sentiments in various cities and towns. The unrest was influenced by far-right activists exploiting social media to disseminate false information about a fabricated mass stabbing at a Taylor Swift-themed dance gathering that reportedly resulted in the deaths of three girls.
