A man has been charged with attempted murder after an 11-year-old girl was stabbed to death in Leicester Square.

Ioan Pintaru, 32, of no fixed address, was also charged with possession of a knife. He was remanded in custody and is due to appear before Westminster Magistrates’ Court on Tuesday morning.

Police were called to a stabbing at a tourist attraction in central London at 11:34am on Monday.

The girl’s 34-year-old mother was also initially injured, but blood from her daughter’s injuries was mistaken for her own injuries, the Metropolitan Police said.

Her daughter was taken to hospital with serious but non-life-threatening injuries, police added.

Police said on Monday that there was no evidence of a terrorist incident and officials do not believe that the suspect and the victim knew each other.

Leicester Square and the surrounding area attract an estimated 2.5 million visitors each week and are home to shops, theatres, cinemas and restaurants.

The stabbing happened near the TWG tea shop, which is next to the Lego store and opposite the M&Ms store. A security guard at the tea shop said he stepped in to help the girl when she was attacked.

DCS Christina Jessah said: “This is a terrible incident and our thoughts are with the victims and their families. We will continue to offer them support in the coming days and weeks.”

“I would like to thank the citizens, including employees of local businesses, who bravely intervened in this incident. They put themselves in danger and in doing so showed London at its best.”