London's Westminster Police said a man, believed to be the sole suspect, had been arrested following the attack on Monday morning.

The guard, named as Abdullah, 29, told PA Media he was working at a tea shop near the square when he “heard screams” and saw women being attacked by a man in his 30s.

“I jumped on him, grabbed his hand that was holding the knife, then pinned him to the floor, held him down and took the knife,” Abdullah said. He added that two other people came to help him hold down the attacker for “about three to four minutes” before police arrived and arrested him.

British police remain on high alert after days of anti-immigration riots earlier this month, sparked by false claims that a knife attack that killed three girls in northern England was carried out by an immigrant.

The London Ambulance Service said it was called to the scene at around 11:36 a.m. local time on Monday and paramedics took the victims to a major medical center.

In a later statement, Westminster Police said the 11-year-old girl would be treated in hospital but her injuries were not life-threatening, while the second victim suffered minor injuries.

In a major report last month, the UK’s National Police Chiefs’ Council (NPCC) warned that violence against women and girls in England and Wales had reached “epidemic levels”.

Huy Hoang (according to CNN, PA Media)