Woman charged over town centre ‘stabbing’

A WOMAN is due to appear in court today after being charged over an incident which caused widespread panic in a South Yorkshire town.

Ayaan Ali faces charges of attempted murder, affray and possession of an offensive weapon following her arrest in Barnsley on Saturday morning.

The 28-year-old, of Isleworth, Middlesex, was in custody last night ahead of her appearance at Barnsley Magistrates’ Court today.

Police received multiple calls from around 8.20am on Saturday, after a man suffered minor injuries in an alleged stabbing in the town centre.

Chief Superintendent Scott Green said: “There remains a lot of speculation and rumour on social media, much of which is inaccurate and is creating a lot of fear and distress.

“While it would be inappropriate to provide specific information about ongoing legal proceedings, what I can clarify is that at this stage, there is absolutely no information whatsoever to suggest that this was a group attack.

“We can now also confirm definitively that this was not an act of terrorism. I trust that this offers some reassurance and closure to the Barnsley public after what must have been a very shocking day.”

Market traders described how the drama unfolded as they were setting up their stalls.

One of them, Abdul Razzaq, has been hailed a hero after he reportedly intervened in the moments before police arrested the woman. The 43-year-old said: “People were scared. They were really scared.”