A man arrested over multiple stabbing at Manchester's Arndale was detained under the Mental Health Act.
Emergency services were called to the shopping centre at around 11am on Friday morning to reports that multiple people had been stabbed during a vicious knife rampage.
Shortly after the attacks , a 40-year-old man was arrested on suspicion of terrorism offences but Greater Manchester Police have now confirmed that he has been 'compulsorily detained' after being assessed by specialist doctors.
According to Manchester Evening News, a spokesperson for GMP said: "The investigation will continue in order to fully understand the motives behind the attack.
"There is not believed to be any wider threat to the communities of Greater Manchester and the attacker is believed to have acted alone."
Witnesses at the Arndale during the attack reported that shoppers fled in terror.
One said: "He had a knife, he was shouting, he was running after us. I was scared for my life. Wow. It was scary. I was 100 metres away.
"He came out, he went back in the Arndale for 50 seconds. He came out and walked down the road shouting.
"I didn’t know what was going on. We all came outside. I went to Exchange Square then I turned and saw him.
"Everyone was running, shouting. He came out running after people.
"I’m still scared right now to walk in this street."
The suspect is thought to be British and lives in Manchester.
Detectives believe the man attempted to attack several people , including two unarmed PCSOs who tried to detain him.
He was eventually arrested by armed officers when PCSOs asked for backup.
Three people - a 19-year-old woman, another woman and a man in his 50s - were stabbed before being taken to hospital.
A woman in her 40s was not stabbed, but was assessed by paramedics.
Another woman received a 'superficial knife injury'.
Speaking at a press conference this afternoon Assistant Chief Constable Russ Jackson said: "We do not know the motivation for this terrible attack.
"It appears random, it was certainly brutal, and of course extremely frightening for anyone who witnessed it.
"This is bound to bring back memories of the awful events of 2017.
