The shopping centre has now been evacuated (Picture: John Greenhalgh/ Cavendish Press / MEN Media)

A man who is thought to have stabbed three victims at a Manchester shopping centre has been detained under the mental health act.

Footage from outside the Manchester Arndale, shared on social media, showed a man being cuffed by police at around 11.15am this morning.

The victims are described as two women, one of whom is 19, and a man in his 50s, all of whom were taken to hospital, where they are said to be in a stable condition.

A fourth woman, in her 40s, was not stabbed but suffered injuries and was assessed by paramedics.


GMP said the 40-year-old suspect, who was arrested on suspicion of the commission, preparation and instigation of an act of terrorism, had been assessed by specialist doctors.



The force added that anti-terror officers will continue the investigation ‘in order to fully understand the motives behind the attack’.

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A man was filmed being cuffed by police (Picture: John Greenhalgh)

A heavy police presence was spotted at Starbucks (Picture: Kammy Nadeem / MEN Media)

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The victims have been rushed to hospital (Picture: Cavendish Press/ Ricky Champagne)

Manchester Police Assistant Chief Constable, Russ Jackson, said the incident was ‘bound to bring back memories of the awful events of 2017’.

Witnesses at the scene described how shoppers ran for cover and barricaded themselves inside shops as the attacker ‘lunged’ at people.

One of the victims was said to have been visiting Manchester on a ‘girly weekend’ but has been left traumatised by the attack.

Named locally as 19-year-old Chloe McGurk, from Northern Ireland, the young woman is currently recovering in hospital and her injuries are not life-threatening.

Her friend, Ellen Da Conceicao, wrote on Facebook: ‘All we wanted to do was come over to Manchester for a girly weekend but instead the first shopping centre we step into this happens.

‘We’re all so shook and can’t for the life of us understand how someone could be so low to do this. I can’t get that man’s face and knife out of my head and probably won’t for a very long time.’

Witnesses said one person was in a critical condition (Picture: Cavendish Press/ Ricky Champagne)

One man has been arrested (Picture: Cavendish Press/ Ricky Champagne)

Four people have been treated at the scene (Picture: Cavendish Press/ Ricky Champagne)

She added that ‘Chloe is on the mend’ and thanks everyone for their support.

One witness wrote on Twitter: ‘Three people just got stabbed in the Starbucks in Manchester Arndale and it’s all been evacuated. This is actually crazy.’

A shop worker, who gave his name only as Jordan, 23, described how frantic customers sought refuge in stores after news of the attack spread.

He said: ‘A man was running around with a knife lunging at multiple people, one of which came into my store visibly shaken with a small graze.

‘Soon after, security staff told all retail staff to close their doors and move the public to the back of the stores.’

Customer Freddie Houlder, 22, said he heard ‘a load of screams’ and saw a woman run into the shop he was in shouting: ‘A guy just ran past the shop and tried to stab me.’

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There is a heavy police presence in the area (Picture: Dave Hardy)

The area has been shutdown (Picture: Dave Hardy)

He continued: ‘Luckily she had quite a thick jacket – she thought originally it was a fake knife because of how easily it grazed off but police came in and said it was a real knife and she burst in to tears.’



Millicent Cooke had been passing through the city centre when the attack took place and told Metro.co.uk the shopping centre looked like a scene from ‘Dawn of the Dead’.

She added that several young girls had expressed fears that it had been a terrorist attack.

Other shops on Market Street are currently closed down and their workers were sent home for the day.

David Allinson, centre director of the shopping centre, said: ‘The centre has been evacuated while police investigate the incident.

‘We are unable to comment any further as the incident is currently being handled by Greater Manchester Police, who we will continue to support with their investigation.’

Anyone with information is urged to come forward (Picture: Millicent Cooke)

There is still a heavy police presence in the area (Picture: Millicent Cooke)

The incident comes just days after the Arndale was shut down following a large group of ‘youths’ who were ‘causing anti-social behaviour towards security staff’.

Shoppers saw a ‘riot van, four police cars and an ambulance’ arrive outside the shopping centre on October 4.

The Arndale Centre is just a few hundred yards from the Manchester Arena and Victoria railway station – both of which have been the scene of recent terror attacks.

In May 2017, 22 people were killed when Salman Abedi detonated a suicide bomb in the Manchester Arena following an Ariane Grande concert – the youngest victim was just eight years old.

The incident is still ongoing (Picture: Getty Images)

Last New Year’s Eve, three people including a police officer were seriously injured after a 25-year-old man launched a knife attack on passers-by.

He was arrested on suspicion of attempted murder and will face trial in November.

A spokesperson for GMP appealed for anyone with information to come forward.


They are urged to contact the police on 101 quoting incident number 1055 of 11/10/2019, or call Crimestoppers anonymously on 0800 555 111.

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