A Pakistani Muslim man has been celebrated as a hero after he intervened in a knife attack in London’s bustling theater district on Monday, playing a crucial role in saving the victims.
The attack, which left an 11-year-old girl and a 34-year-old woman injured, came in the wake of a series of far-right, anti-immigration riots across England that targeted mosques and accommodation for asylum seekers.
Social media quickly erupted with praise for the man, who stepped in to tackle the assailant. Identified by a private news outlet as 29-year-old Abdullah, a security guard at the TWG Tea shop in Leicester Square, he recounted how he and his colleagues subdued the attacker and provided first aid to the injured child.
Abdullah described the harrowing moment, saying, “I heard a scream and went outside to see a man with a knife. The moment I saw it, I just jumped on him, grabbed his hand, put him down on the floor, and kicked the knife away. I didn’t have time to think—I just acted.”
He noted that other men quickly joined in, helping to restrain the attacker for several minutes until authorities arrived.
Reflecting on the incident, Abdullah said, “It’s horrible, to be honest. I’ve never seen anything like that before. To do this to a kid, it’s just horrible.”
Abdullah and his colleagues administered first aid to the girl before emergency services took over. According to police, the girl sustained serious but not life-threatening injuries, while the woman’s injuries were described as less severe.
“I just saw a kid getting stabbed and I tried to save her. It’s my duty to save them,” Abdullah said.
Abdullah works as a security only part time and is a law student in the UK.
On Instagram, users expressed admiration for Abdullah, with one commenter saying, “We need more people like Abdullah!!!” Several others criticized the media for not giving the story wider coverage. One user wrote, “What a HERO!!!! Where’s the mainstream news about a brown, MUSLIM person saving lives?!”
Another user pointed out the irony of the situation, highlighting the silence from far-right groups who had recently rioted supposedly in defense of “women and children.”
Following the previous week’s riots, police had anticipated further unrest over the weekend. However, significant, widespread disturbances did not materialize. Despite this, government officials remained on high alert, with Prime Minister Keir Starmer’s office noting that efforts to address the aftermath of the riots were ongoing.
