Woman arrested after four stabbed in central London

A 47-year-old woman has been arrested after four men were stabbed in Covent Garden in central London, the Metropolitan Police said.

The men, aged 34, 39, 42 and 52, were taken to hospital after emergency services were called to reports of a stabbing in Endell Street at about 12:30 BST.

In a statement, London Ambulance Service said: "We treated four patients at the scene and took them all to a major trauma centre as a priority by road."

The woman was arrested on suspicion of possession of an offensive weapon and assault. The Met said it was believed to have been a mental health-related incident and that a pair of scissors had been recovered at the scene.

Crowds looked on as London Air Ambulance landed in nearby Trafalgar Square as part of the emergency service response but the victims were all transported to hospital by road.

No further update has been given on the extent of the men's injuries.

A cordon that started at High Holborn and covered the St Mungo's homeless centre on the street has now been removed.

Officers had been seen speaking to people before they entered the centre.

Matt Bishop, 42, who works at a consultancy firm just next to where the cordon was in Covent Garden, said he had seen a woman having a "stand-off" with three police officers and waving a weapon around.

He said: "I didn't see the stabbing. I saw her running down the road towards the crossroads. She looked quite old, short hair.

"There was a bit of a stand-off with three police officers."

He added: "She was pretty incoherent in what she was shouting, the officer was asking what language she was shouting."

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