A would-be child snatcher has been seized by police after he was stopped from grabbing a terrified pupil by a group of fearless classmates.

The pals had been at a school bus stop in the city of Gaithersburg, in the US state of Maryland, when the attacker reportedly tried to drag the child into an apartment block.

But he abandoned the bid – say police – when the victim’s angry classmates surrounded him on the morning of 20th March.

The friends reported the attack when they got to Redlands Middle School, which teaches pupils aged from 10 to 14.

Police later named the suspect as Jamaal Germany, 30.

Montgomery County Police said in a statement obtained by Newsflash: “Through the course of the investigation, detectives identified Germany as the suspect.

“He was arrested and transported to the Montgomery County Central Processing Unit, where he was charged with attempted kidnapping and second-degree assault.

“Bond information is not available at this time.”

Germany’s motives for the attempted abduction are currently unclear.

Detectives are asking for anyone who believes that they may have been a victim of Germany in the past to call police.

The investigation is currently ongoing.