Dramatic details emerge after security guard tackles knifeman attacking Australian girl, 11, at London’s Leicester Square

A brave security guard who jumped on a knifeman attacking a young Australian tourist at Leicester Square has revealed dramatic details of his heroic act.

The 11-year-old girl was seriously injured when she was stabbed eight times with a knife, about 11.30am on Monday.

Her alleged attacker, Ioan Pintaru, 32, allegedly put the girl in a headlock and stabbed her eight times, and has been charged with attempted murder over the incident.

Initially, the girl’s mother jumped on the man in an attempt to stop him.

A security guard named Abdullah, who was working at a nearby store, saw what was happening and raced to help disarm the knifeman, before Metropolitan Police arrived at the scene.

“I saw he was stabbing a kid, I jumped on him,” Abdullah, 29, said.

“I held the hand in which he was having the knife and just put him down on the floor and just held him and kicked the knife away from him.

“A couple of more people joined as well, and we just hold him until the police came.

“It took maybe three or four minutes for police to arrive, and they just took him into custody.”

Abdullah was recognised for his bravery at Pakistan’s London High Commission on Wednesday, where he was treated as a guest of honour.

“I would say that I’m a brave person. We Pakistanis are brave by heart as. So I wasn’t scared,” Abdullah said, according to the ABC.

London’s Metropolitan Police said the girl was seriously wounded in the face, shoulder, wrist, and neck, and required plastic surgery, however her injuries are not life-threatening.

It was initially thought the girl’s mother, 34, was also hurt, but police said blood from her daughter’s injuries had been mistaken for wounds of her own.

Authorities haven’t offered a motive for the attack, but police said it was not terror-related and they don’t believe the suspect knew the mother or daughter.

Pintaru appeared at London’s Westminster Magistrates’ Court on Tuesday, charged with attempted murder and 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.

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 hotspot in central London.

The area attracts an estimated 2.5 million visitors every week and is home to shops, theatres, cinemas, and restaurants.