My only thought was to save the child, says man who disarmed knife attacker

"Police sirens were still sounding and the pavement was stained with blood when I first met Abdullah Tanoli in August 2024. It was only a few hours after he had intervened in a knife attack on a young girl in central London. Abdullah stood nearby, calm and composed, having just disarmed a man who had stabbed an 11-year-old child multiple times. The attacker, 33-year-old Ioan Pintaru, was sentenced on Tuesday to indefinite detention in a high security mental hospital."

"He accepts the thanks graciously but never boasts. "It was just an ordinary day," he tells me, as shoppers were enjoying the rare sunshine in the capital. That morning, Abdullah was working as a security guard at a TWG store when, at about 11:30, he heard screams coming from outside. "Not normal screaming," he says. "You know when a child is just crying. But when someone is being hurt, that scream is different.""

Abdullah Tanoli disarmed a man who had stabbed an 11-year-old girl multiple times in central London, saving the child's life. The attacker, 33-year-old Ioan Pintaru, was later ordered into indefinite detention in a high-security mental hospital. Tanoli was working as a security guard at a TWG store when he heard distinctive screams and saw the girl held in a headlock, suffering repeated stab wounds. Tanoli intervened despite knowing the attacker had a knife. Tanoli has since left his security role for management, received awards for bravery, and been publicly recognized for his actions.

Read at www.bbc.com