Manchester Arndale: Man detained under Mental Health Act after major security scare at shopping centre

A man has been detained under the Mental Health Act after a major security scare at Manchester's Arndale Centre.

Police descended on the shopping centre at around 8.55pm on Friday to reports of a man with a knife.

The alert came just a week after two people were stabbed by a man in a random attack at the shopping centre.

Greater Manchester Police (GMP) said on Saturday a 26-year-old man had been arrested on suspicion of affray and has since been detained under the Mental Health Act.

A woman suffered a minor injury during the incident and was treated at the scene, GMP said in a statement, but no other injuries have been reported.

Last Friday, a 40-year-old man sparked a terror alert when he allegedly launched an attack on passers-by on the ground floor the centre, busy with shoppers.

He was later detained under the Mental Health Act after four people were injured.

Counter-terrorism officers are leading the investigation, although they have confirmed that so far no political, religious or ideological motivation has been uncovered.

The shopping centre is just a few hundred yards from Manchester Arena, where 22 people were killed in May 2017 when Salman Abedi detonated a suicide bomb following an Ariana Grande concert.

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