Woman arrested after four men stabbed in Covent Garden – latest

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Summary

• Police arrested a 47-year-old woman on Wednesday in connection to a stabbing attack in the Covent Garden area that sent four men to the hospital.
• Police responded to reports of a stabbing at Endell Street, a popular stretch in Covent Garden for eating and drinking in at 12:27pm. There, they found four men – aged 34, 39, 42 and 52 – with stab wounds.
• Two of the men were discharged from the hospital after a few hours. The two other victims remain at a hospital with injuries that are not believed to be life-threatening or life-changing, police said.
• Investigators believe the attack was mental health-related. Local workers told the Guardian that the woman was known in the area for her erratic behaviour.
• Witnesses said it appeared that the victims were chosen at random and that the weapon used was a pair of scissors.
• The woman was arrested on suspicion of possession of an offensive weapon and assault. She remains in custody.

\n \n Police arrested a 47-year-old woman on Wednesday in connection to a stabbing attack in the Covent Garden area that sent four men to the hospital.

Police responded to reports of a stabbing at Endell Street, a popular stretch in Covent Garden for eating and drinking in at 12:27pm. There, they found four men – aged 34, 39, 42 and 52 – with stab wounds.

Two of the men were discharged from the hospital after a few hours. The two other victims remain at a hospital with injuries that are not believed to be life-threatening or life-changing, police said.

Investigators believe the attack was mental health-related. Local workers told the Guardian that the woman was known in the area for her erratic behaviour.

Witnesses said it appeared that the victims were chosen at random and that the weapon used was a pair of scissors.

The woman was arrested on suspicion of possession of an offensive weapon and assault. She remains in custody.

Four men were stabbed in central London on Wednesday, with police arresting a woman in connection to the attack.

Police responded to reports of a stabbing at Endell Street in Covent Garden at 12:27pm, the Metropolitan Police said in a statement.

There, they found four men – aged 34, 39, 42 and 52 – with stab wounds. They were transported to a major trauma centre, according to the London Ambulance Service.

A 47-year-old woman was arrested on suspicion of possession of an offensive weapon and assault, police said. Investigators believe the stabbing was mental health-related incident. A pair of scissors were recovered at the scene.

The current condition of the victims has not been released. Police remain at the scene.

Key events

• 10m agoSummary
• 3h agoFour men stabbed in Covent Garden, woman arrested for assault

Here are some images coming in over the wire of the Metropolitan police arresting a 47-year-old woman in connection with the stabbing of four men in the Covent Garden neighbourhood. Police said they believe the attack was mental health-related.

Local workers told the Guardian that the woman, who they believed to be unhoused, had frequented the area and was known for her unstable behaviour. They said it appeared that the victims had been chosen at random.

Police officers arrest a woman after four people were stabbed in Covent Garden. Photograph: SWNS

The scene in Covent Garden, where four people were stabbed. Photograph: SWNS

The area where a woman was arrested in connection to the stabbing of four men is a busy tourist hotspot, located near the Covent Garden piazza.

Here’s a look at where it happened:

Helena Horton

Workers at the 2 Chairs Grooming Room said one of the victims ran into the shop and took his shirt off, revealing a large gash on his back.

Two of the four men stabbed this afternoon have been discharged from the hospital, the Metropolitan Police posted on X.

The two other victims remain at a hospital with injuries that are not believed to be life-threatening or life-changing, police said.

Another eyewitness told the Press Association that the stabbing took place outside the Shaftesbury Theatre before the woman made her way down Endell Street.

“We noticed she stabbed three people with scissors by the theatre then she came down here and the police were here,” said the witness, who asked to remain anonymous.

Caroline Davies

Chief Superintendent Jason Stewart, who leads policing in the area, said a statement on X: “Officers responded within minutes of this incident after receiving a number of reports.

“While still at an early stage of the investigation, we would like to reassure the community that we currently believe this to an isolated, mental-health related incident.

“A visible police presence will remain in the area while evidence is gathered at the scene and we thank the public for their understanding.”

Matt Bishop, 42, who works at a consultancy firm just next to scene, told the Press Association that the woman arrested appeared “quite old” and had short hair.

“She didn’t seem to be particularly coherent. She was pretty incoherent in what she was shouting. The officer was asking what language she was shouting,” he said.

Helena Horton

Witnesses said it looked like a woman used a pair of scissors to stab the four men.

Andrea, the manager of the Da Mario restaurant on Endell Street, said he recognised the woman.

“She’s often on the street. We’ve seen her do things like this before. She’s recently got in an argument with a mate and thrown a bottle of vodka on the floor and it smashed outside the restaurant,” he said.

As of 3:30pm, the cordon was no longer in place and Andrea was serving tiramisu to his customers.

Helena Horton

Arjan Gjorga, who works at fish restaurant the Rock and Sole Plaice, witnessed the attack. He believed that the woman is known to the workers on Endell Street, a popular road in Covent Garden for eating and drinking.

“I see her all the time, she’s a homeless person. She walks around up and down asking for help, she visits the church at the top of the street,” he said.

He didn’t have to close his restaurant but he said: “We all saw a commotion. People were running away”.

The victims appeared to be chosen at random, Gjorga said. “It was totally random, just random people. She suddenly started stabbing them,” he said.

He praised the police response. “The police reacted immediately. They arrested her right away.”

According to the Metropolitan Police, knife crime offences have dropped 3% for year-to-date 2026 compared to year-to-date 2025 across the Met service area.

This includes an 11% reduction in knife-enabled robberies and a 1.5% reduction in knife-enabled crime where a knife was used to injure.

The London Ambulance Service said an ambulance crew, a paramedic in a fast response car and an incident response officer had rushed to the scene and treated the four men before transporting them to a major trauma centre by road.

However, the ambulance service also dispatched London’s air ambulance. Video posted on social media shows a red helicopter making a dramatic landing in the middle of a crowded Trafalgur Square.

Four men stabbed in Covent Garden, woman arrested for assault

Four men were stabbed in central London on Wednesday, with police arresting a woman in connection to the attack.

Police responded to reports of a stabbing at Endell Street in Covent Garden at 12:27pm, the Metropolitan Police said in a statement.

There, they found four men – aged 34, 39, 42 and 52 – with stab wounds. They were transported to a major trauma centre, according to the London Ambulance Service.

A 47-year-old woman was arrested on suspicion of possession of an offensive weapon and assault, police said. Investigators believe the stabbing was mental health-related incident. A pair of scissors were recovered at the scene.

The current condition of the victims has not been released. Police remain at the scene.