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 allegedly 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, a Romanian citizen, who also faces a knife charge, was held in custody. He was ordered to appear on September 10 at London’s Central Criminal Court, known as the Old Bailey.
The alleged stabbing came as England remained on edge following recent race-related violence across the country that has led to dozens of arrests.
The disturbances were fuelled 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.
However, there is no indication the alleged Leicester Square attack was related to the wider violence.
with AP
