Three people stabbed in major UK city centre

Horrific.

The incident brought armed officers, a police helicopter and a full-scale emergency response onto the streets.

Witnesses described scenes of chaos, with bloodied bandages seen on the pavement inside police cordons.

A police helicopter circled overhead for around 40 minutes as officers searched for those involved in the fight, which broke out in Manchester's Piccadilly Gardens just before 10pm on Tuesday night, reports BBC News.

Greater Manchester Police confirmed officers from the City Centre team were called to the scene at 9.54pm following reports of a fight near Superdrug.

They discovered a man in his 20s with stab wounds, while a second victim, a man in his 50s, was found nearby with a stab wound to his arm. Both were taken to hospital for treatment.

A third man, also in his 20s, later turned up at Manchester Royal Infirmary with a stab wound to his back.

All three injured men have since been arrested on suspicion of affray, with detectives from the City of Manchester CID team now leading the investigation.

While the force has moved to reassure the public that there is no 'wider threat', officers say patrols across the area will be ramped up as a precaution in the coming days.

Detective Superintendent Ian McNabb said the incident underlined the need to tackle knife crime head-on.

"The use of knives or violence in our communities is completely unacceptable," he said. "Incidents like this are incredibly serious and can have devastating consequences."

He urged anyone with information to come forward, adding: "Anyone with information is asked to contact police on 101 or via LiveChat quoting log 3667 of 19/05/2026."