A mother fought bravely when a stranger grabbed her daughter from her back and tried to snatch her.

The Taiwanese woman, known as Ms. Wu, was walking with her seven-year-old girl back from school in Taipei on Wednesday when the man suddenly struck.

CCTV video released by local police showed the attacker lurking in front of a restaurant before making his move.

As the pair moved past, he ambushed them, grabbing the girl and attempting to drag her away. The terrified mother screamed for help, forced into a human tug-of-war to prevent her child from being abducted.

 

Nearby members of the public quickly came to her help and confronted the man, who had to withdraw.

The assailant, identified by police as 33-year-old Zhou, claimed it was a case of mistaken identity, and he thought Ms. Wu and her child were people he knew.

But Ms. Wu told Taiwan TV station SETN Zhou was attempting to choke her girl while she fought him off.

Police said they had sent Zhou for a medical assessment, and were continuing to investigate the attack.

In a second press conference, the police said Zhou was seen hanging around the National Taiwan University Hospital today.

The police said they had caught Zhou and sent him for a medical assessment in order to avoid further possible attacks from him.

The police are yet to reveal Zhou’s motives or if he suffers any mental illness.