Three men have been arrested over the stabbing of a 32-year-old woman who attended the Notting Hill carnival with her young child, the Metropolitan police said.
A 20-year-old was arrested on suspicion of attempted murder and violent disorder, while two other men, aged 22 and 24, were arrested on suspicion of violent disorder. The three were detained at separate addresses in Hammersmith and Fulham on Tuesday morning and are in custody.
The woman, who was stabbed shortly before 6pm on Sunday, remains in a critical condition in hospital.
The Met said: “While the investigation is ongoing, initial inquiries suggest the woman got caught up in the middle of an altercation between two groups of men. It’s not yet clear if they were known to her.”
Commander Charmain Brenyah, the Met’s spokesperson for the Notting Hill carnival, said: “Our thoughts, first and foremost, are with the woman who is fighting for her life in hospital and with her loved ones. She came to carnival to have fun, with her young child, and was caught up in the most awful violence.
“These arrests are a significant step in the investigation. They are the result of a determined effort by detectives who have worked around the clock to identify, locate and arrest these suspects.
“We should not underestimate how much more difficult those vital early stages of an investigation are when they take place in the context of a busy, crowded event like carnival.
“I’d also like to acknowledge the incredible work of the officers, including police medics, who arrived so quickly – delivering emergency medical treatment and securing the scene to preserve vital evidence. Our investigations into the other incidents over the weekend continue.”