Police have been called to Manchester Arndale as four people were injured following a stabbing at the shopping centre, with reports of a fifth person later presenting themselves as injured.
The Arndale has been evacuated and a police cordon has been set up in the city centre, with Greater Manchester Police tweeting: "We were called to reports of a multiple stabbing at the Arndale shopping centre at 11.15am earlier today (Friday 11 October 2019).
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"At this stage we believe that four people were injured during the incident."
The statement continued: "A 19-year-old woman- was taken to hospital with stab wounds. Another woman was also taken to hospital with stab injuries. Both their conditions are described as stable.
"A man in his 50s has also been taken to hospital with stab wounds.
"A fourth victim - a woman in her 40s - who was not stabbed - has been assessed and did not need to go to hospital following assessment by paramedics.
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"A man in his 40s - who was arrested at the scene on suspicion of serious assault - remains in custody for questioning."
At 3.16pm, the BBC's Naomi Cornwell tweeted that Greater Manchester Police had confirmed that a fifth person had also presented themselves as injured.
Police earlier confirmed that specialist officers were continuing to respond to the incident, adding: "In these early stages we are keeping an open mind about the motivation of this terrible incident and the circumstances as we know them.
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"Given the location of the incident and its nature officers from Counter Terrorism Police North West are leading the investigation as we determine the circumstances."
Police confirmed to the BBC that there have been no reports of fatalities.
North West Ambulance Service also posted: "We are dealing with an incident in Manchester city centre. We have a number of resources at the scene and we are working with our emergency service partners to manage the incident."
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NWAS later added an update that reads: "We have treated four patients, including one patient with serious injuries and all have been taken to hospital."
Tram services are currently not running through nearby Exchange Square, while shops along Market Street have also been evacuated.
Pictures and videos posted on to social media show large numbers of officers attending the Exchange Square side of the shopping centre.
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The incident is said to have taken place close to Starbucks within Manchester Arndale.
Councillor Nigel Murphy, deputy leader of Manchester City Council, posted: "This incident is under control and Greater Manchester Police and other emergency services are at the scene. It would be helpful if people could stay away from the scene to allow them to do their work.
"We would like to thank the public for their co-operation and of course to thank the police and others who are managing this situation.
"We would encourage people not to speculate about this incident but to refer to trusted official sources for updates."
Freddy Houlder, 22, told the Manchester Evening News: "I was in Office about 10 meters away from where someone potentially got stabbed.
"I was in the shop, a woman came in really quickly.
"She had been grazed by a knife, they locked the doors, they evacuated the shop 15 minutes after.
"They put curtains around where people have been stabbed.
"The woman was standing outside the shop. They caught the guy. She burst into tears, she was so lucky she was wearing a thick jacket.
"He was running around going for as many people as possible."
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