An 11-year-old girl who was seriously injured in an alleged stabbing attack in London on Monday is Australian, the Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade (DFAT) has confirmed.
Ioan Pintaru, 32, has been charged with the attempted murder of the girl, who was allegedly stabbed eight times with a knife, in Leicester Square about 11.30am on Monday.
DFAT on Wednesday confirmed it is providing consular assistance to two Australians injured in London.
Know the news with the 7NEWS app: Download today
“Owing to our privacy obligations we cannot provide further comment,” the department said.
The family is understood to be from NSW, the ABC reports.
London’s Metropolitan Police said the 11-year-old girl was seriously injured though her injuries are not life-threatening.
It was initially thought the girl’s mother, 34, was also hurt but police say that blood from her daughter’s injuries had been mistaken for wounds of her own.
The accused, who the court was told was a Romanian citizen with no fixed address, and the victims are not thought to be known to each other.
Pintaru appeared at London’s Westminster Magistrates’ Court on Tuesday, also charged with possession of a bladed article in a public place. He wore a grey tracksuit and spoke only to confirm his name and date of birth.
Prosecutor David Burns said the girl and her mother, who were tourists, were in Leicester Square when the “random attack on a child” occurred.
“The defendant has approached the 11-year-old girl, placed her into a headlock and he has then stabbed her eight times to the body,” Burns said.
She was wounded in the face, shoulder, wrist and neck.
The court heard members of the public intervened and when police arrived they found a man being held on the ground.
There was no suggestion the attack was terrorism-related, police said.
Pintaru was not asked to enter any pleas and was remanded in custody ahead of his next court hearing at the Old Bailey on September 10.
Leicester Square is a tourist hot spot in central London.
The area attracts an estimated 2.5 million visitors every week and is home to shops, theatres, cinemas and restaurants.
– with PA and Reuters
