After a woman was stabbed outside a Cheltenham leisure centre, a man was charged with attempted murder.

Joshua Bowles, 29, was arrested shortly after the attack in Gloucestershire on March 9 at around 9.15 a.m.

Bowles has also been charged with causing actual bodily harm, according to Nick Price, head of the CPS’s special crime and counter-terrorism division.

On Thursday, he will appear in Westminster Magistrates’ Court in central London.

The CPS has authorised Gloucestershire police to charge Joshua Bowles with attempted murder,” Mr Price said.

This charge relates to a woman who was stabbed outside a Cheltenham leisure centre on Thursday, March 9.

The Crown Prosecution Service wishes to remind all concerned that criminal proceedings against Mr Bowles are ongoing and that he has the right to a fair trial,” he added.

According to police, the woman, who is believed to be an American spy, suffered serious injuries and was taken to a hospital for treatment, where she is still in stable condition.

We would encourage people not to speculate on the specific circumstances surrounding this incident,” said Detective Chief Superintendent Olly Wright, head of Counter-Terrorism Policing South East.

“We believe this was an isolated incident and there is no information to suggest any wider threat to the local community.