Woman arrested as four people stabbed in central London

London: A woman was arrested after four men were stabbed in Covent Garden, a busy area of central London popular with tourists, in a suspected "mental health related incident", police said Wednesday.

"A 47-year-old woman was arrested on suspicion of possession of an offensive weapon and assault," London's Metropolitan Police said in a statement posted on X.

The victims were four men aged 34, 39, 42 and 52, the force added.

London Ambulance Service said the four patients had been taken to a major trauma centre after having been treated at the scene.

The Met said in its statement: "While at an early stage of the investigation, this is believed to be a mental health related incident."

Officers seized a pair of scissors at the scene, they added.

Emergency services were called around 12:30 pm local time (1130 GMT).

Striking images published by media showed an air ambulance helicopter in Trafalgar Square and a street lined with stores and patio seating cordoned off by police tape.

Shootings are rare in the UK, where the sale of firarms is highly regulated, but the government has been struggling to clamp down on the use of knives and other sharp objects.