• A 29-year-old Muslim security guard, Abdullah, heroically tackled and disarmed stabber, saving an 11-year-old girl and a 34-year-old woman.
• The attacker, a 32-year-old man, has been charged with attempted murder; both victims are receiving treatment, with the girl expected to recover.
29-year-old Abdullah, a security guard working at TWG Tea Shop in Leicester Square, heroically intervened to stop a brutal stabbing attack on an 11-year-old girl and a 34-year-old woman. His swift actions likely saved lives during the chaotic scene that unfolded in one of London’s busiest tourist areas. The attacker has been named as Ioan Pintaru, 32, who appeared in court on Tuesday morning, and has been charged with attempted murder and possession of a bladed article.
The attack occurred in broad daylight on a crowded street. Abdullah, who has been hailed as a hero by many, “heard screams” from outside the shop and rushed out to confront the attacker. Witnesses describe a horrifying scene: a man with blood on his face and chest viciously attacking a woman before turning his attention to the young girl. According to eyewitness reports, the assailant had the child in a headlock, stabbing her repeatedly.
Without hesitation, Abdullah acted:
“The moment I saw it, I just jumped on that guy and grabbed his hand… and put him down on the floor and kicked the knife away from him,” he recounted to reporters.
In an interview with ilmfeed today, Abdullah explained his motivations, emphasising that, as Muslims, we are obligated to intervene and stop evil when we witness it.
Abdullah explained that he instructed his team to contact emergency services while restraining the assailant with the help of other bystanders.
His quick thinking and bravery prevented what could have been an even more tragic outcome. Abdullah restrained the man for “four to five” minutes until police arrived and took the suspect into custody. Abdullah also mentioned to reporters:
“I just saw a kid getting stabbed and I just tried to save her. It’s my duty to just save them.”
Detective Chief Superintendent Christina Jessah noted, “I would like to pay tribute to the members of the public, including staff from local businesses, who bravely intervened in this incident. They put themselves at risk and showed the best of London in doing so.”
Both victims were rushed to major trauma centres. The girl, who sustained multiple stab wounds, required hospital treatment but is expected to recover. The woman, though injured, suffered less severe wounds. The Metropolitan Police have confirmed that the incident is not being treated as terror-related.
Media coverage of the heroic actions taken by Abdullah has varied. While some outlets, including mainstream sources, mentioned his name and praised his bravery, others opted to refer vaguely to “staff” or “members of the public” who intervened, omitting any specific recognition of Abdullah’s courage. Right-wing news sources which can be described as anti-immigration, like GB news, were quick to mention that the attacker was a Romanian citizen and mentioned this in one of their headlines but did not disclose the ethnicity, nationality or religion of the man who stepped in to stop him within the articles themselves let alone the headlines. Given that the vast majority of people only read the headlines, the disingenuity of some news sources can be given some of the blame for the hatred and riots that have taken place in the UK in these past few weeks.
Almost all of the reports failed to mention his religion or ethnicity, a stark contrast to how such details are often highlighted when the perpetrator is of non-white descent. Had the attacker been named Abdullah, it is likely that both his religion and ethnicity would have been prominently featured, potentially even in the headlines, showing a bias in how heroism and violence is framed depending on the individual’s background.
