The 11-year-old Australian girl who was stabbed in London's Leicester Square has been identified.
On August 12, a 32-year-old suspect named Ioan Pintaru allegedly attacked Laila Johnson with a knife in the tourist hotspot around 11.30AM.
The 32-year-old - who is a Romanian national with no fixed address - allegedly put the child in a headlock before stabbing her eight times, according to The Independent.
Laila was with her mum Samantha, 34, when the harrowing ordeal unfolded, and suffered injuries to the face, shoulder, wrist, and neck. She was rushed to hospital in a serious condition and underwent plastic surgery.
The 11-year-old girl, from Candelo in regional New South Wales, had no relations with the suspect, police have confirmed.
She was visiting the English capital with her mum after watching the Olympic Games in Paris. The duo were window shopping when the random attack took place.
"We just came out of the Lego store and she was jumped on and, yeah, did not see it coming and suspect anything, obviously," the mum told 7News. "Did not see it coming, did not suspect anything...It was all very scary. But it could have been way worse."
Laila was released from the hospital days after the terrible incident and went to see Taylor Swift live at Wembley. She was accompanied by two police officers.
"I had to get to the Taylor Swift concert. It was amazing," she told the Daily Telegraph. "Some people organized for us to go into a VIP box and there was food being served and a private toilet, which was very exciting."
Pintaru appeared at Westminster Magistrates Court last week and was charged with possession of a bladed article in a public place, which the court heard was a steak knife.
His mum, who lives in Pucioasa, spoke to Daily Mail about the incident and said: “Please send this message to everybody, I’m deeply sorry for what happened to that little girl.
“I suffer together with her mother and I can’t describe the pain I’m in. I’m also a mother and I understand what she must be going through," she added.
A security guard named Abdullah has since been praised for his bravery after he “jumped on” the suspect, disarmed him, and restrained him until the authorities arrived, as reported by BBC.
Laila has expressed gratitude to the hospital staff who looked after her. "It was bad to meet them under those circumstances but they are some people I will remember forever. There were so many people in hospital and after hospital that made me feel so much more safe," she shared.
Samantha has also paid tribute to how her "incredible" daughter had handled the traumatizing incident.
"She's the most optimistic kid you could meet, she's super bouncy. She's ready to get back to normal," she said.
Detective Chief Superintendent Christina Jessah issued a statement, which read: “This is a horrific incident and our thoughts are with the victims and their family. We will continue to provide support to them over the coming days and weeks."
“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."
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