A market trader has been hailed a hero after he faced down a woman brandishing a foot-long knife who stabbed a man in a town centre as terrified shoppers scattered.

Abdul Razzaq, 43, confronted the woman after she produced a huge kitchen knife in Barnsley town centre and shouted 'kill, kill, kill, kill' as she stabbed one man in the shoulder and then walked around the busy streets.

Mr Razzaq followed the woman and alerted police to where she was in the train station, as South Yorkshire Police put the town centre on lockdown at 8.20am on Saturday morning.

South Yorkshire Police confirmed they arrested a 28-year-old woman on suspicion of attempted murder and said she is being assessed from a mental health perspective.

Abdul Razzaq (pictured), 43, confronted the woman after she produced a huge kitchen knife in Barnsley town centre and shouted 'kill, kill, kill, kill' as she stabbed a man in the shoulder

Special investigators collect evidence at the scene in Barnsley after the morning lockdown

She reportedly stabbed one man in the shoulder after chasing him through the town centre. She tried to stab several others, including a window cleaner and market stall holder, before she was arrested in the train station.

The trader, who has run his clothes stall on Peel Square for more than 15 years, was speaking as shoppers came to shake his hand and congratulate him on his bravery.

Mr Razzaq described how the woman got a knife as long as his forearm out of its wrapping and discarded the packaging in a bin right in front of his stall.

He said she was just shouting 'kill' over and over as she went to stab one man.

He added: 'I ran for this lady and she was saying 'kill, kill, kill, kill'. Everybody was scared. Everybody ran.

'I followed this lady. I said 'don't touch anybody'. I said 'kill me but don't touch my people. Keep that attack for me'.'

Mr Razzaq said: 'I said 'you're a terrorist'. And she said 'I'm no terrorist'. I said 'you're a terrorist because you do this'.

'I said 'why do you attack the people?'. And she just said 'kill people, kill people'.'

A police and a forensic officer in Barnsley town centre after the incident on Saturday morning

'Everybody was scared and people scattered.'

It is believed only one person was hurt in the incident and his injuries are not serious.

Police said they were keeping an open mind as to the motive and were 'receiving support' from detectives at Counter Terrorism Policing North East.

Assistant Chief Constable Tim Forber added: 'It is not appropriate to speculate further.'

A number of bins and others areas in Peel Square were cordoned off and white-suited forensics officers were examining the scenes.

People working in shops in Barnsley Interchange station said they saw officers rushing around the area at around 8am.

A bin appeared to have been tapped off around the crime scene in Barnsley town centre

Craig Ward, 24, who runs an artificial flowers stall, said: 'It was frightening, really terrifying seeing a woman running around with a great knife stabbing random people.'

Mr Ward said: 'All she was shouting was 'kill, kill, kill' and looked frantic,' said Mr Ward.

'One man grabbed a metal market stall pole to scare her off.

'I couldn't believe what I was seeing, it is not what you expect on a Saturday morning.'

Barnsley town centre was put on lockdown amid reports of a knife attacker on Saturday

Hannah Fuller, 24, a member of staff at the Subway sandwich shop, said officers rushed towards the railway platform and businesses had been forced to close for an hour.

She told the Press Association: 'We had to close for an hour - Peel Street was closed. The police haven't told us anything.'

A man who works in a shop in Barnsley Interchange said: 'We saw all the police running round.'

The man, who did not want to be named, said it was business as usual in his store but confirmed that he saw police 'running through the bus station'.

Police urged members of the public to be vigilant and report any suspicious activity.