London's Metropolitan Police announced on Monday that an arrest had been made after a woman and child were stabbed on Monday.
According to police, the stabbing incident occurred in London's Leicester Square, which is one of the city's most popular tourist attractions. Police said the victims, an 11-year-old girl and a 34-year-old woman, were taken to a nearby hospital's trauma center following the incident, according to the Associated Press (AP). However, the extent of their injuries was not immediately available.
Police did not release the identity of the suspect who was taken into custody on Monday.
Over the past few weeks, the United Kingdom has faced heightened tensions following a week of unrest, where crowds chanting anti-immigrant and Islamophobic slogans clashed with police. The violence has reportedly been stoked by right-wing activists spreading misinformation on social media about a knife attack that killed three girls at a Taylor Swift-themed dance event.
On July 29, Bebe King, 6, Elsie Dot Stancombe, 7, and Alice Dasilver Aguiar, 9, were killed during the Swift-themed dance workshop in Southport, England. Eight more children were injured, five critically. Two adults, Leanne Lucas and John Hayes, also suffered critical injuries while trying to protect the children.
Police later arrested 17-year-old Axel Muganwa Rudakubana in connection with the stabbing. However, recent protests and clashes with police were due to "far-right hatred," UK Prime Minister Keir Starmer said.
Police had geared up for more riots over the weekend, but widespread unrest didn't materialize. Ministers, however, remained on high alert. Starmer's office emphasized that their work in addressing the aftermath of the violence is far from finished.
In response to the mass stabbing in Southport, British politician John Woodcock, who serves as an adviser on political violence, said there was a "concerted and coordinated" effort to spread violence online, the BBC previously reported.
"Clearly, some of those far-right actors have got a taste for this and are trying to provoke similar in towns and cities across the UK," Woodcock said.
The stabbing in Southport also prompted Taylor Swift to issue a statement saying she was "completely in shock."
"The horror of yesterday's attack in Southport is washing over me continuously," Swift said. "These were just little kids at a dance class. I am at a complete loss for how to ever convey my sympathies to these families."
Police did not reveal any information regarding a possible connection to the stabbing on Monday and the incident in Southport.
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