Three young men were stabbed during a pitched battle between Albanians and Kosovars in Trafalgar Square in the heart of London, police said Friday.
Police took 19 teenagers into custody during the brawl Thursday afternoon, The Independent reported.
Fighting has been reported on Kosovo National Day for the past three years. Police said some of the participants came to Trafalgar Square, one of the busiest tourist spots in London, looking for trouble and armed with knives and hockey sticks.
"It usually results only in fist fights rather than stabbings but it is hard to concede that this event was spontaneous because it seems that people came armed with necessary tools to commit a serious assault," a source told The Independent.
Superintendent Simon Ovens said there had been no advance warning of trouble in Trafalgar Square. He said police responded quickly.
Two of the three stabbing victims remained hospitalized Friday in serious but stable condition.
Kosovo declared independence from Albania Feb. 17, 2008.
