Fury as web ‘star’ hurls liquid at terrified victims for laughs
A YOUTUBE ‘star’ has been slated for throwing liquid in strangers’ faces for laughs.
Arya Mosallah’s antics come as the UK is gripped by fears about horrific acid attacks.
Mosallah, who uses the name ItzArya in his videos, is shown throwing water at pedestrians in London.
In one scene, the 18-year-old walks up to a group of girls with cups of liquid in his hands.
He asks them a question before throwing the contents in their faces.
Mosallah then runs away laughing as the trio of girls scream before chasing after him.
In another scene, Mosallah walks past a man in the street and throws liquid in his face before being chased across the road.
He also coerces another woman into bending down towards him before squeezing water at her from a bottle.
The woman clutches her face and hair as he runs away.
One of his videos has had more than eight million likes on YouTube.
But they sparked a backlash with some viewers criticising Mosallah for his insensitivity at a time when acid attacks are at a high.
In 2016 there were 431 reported acid attacks in London, more than a 100% increase in just two years.
Most of the suspects and victims were reported to be male, and the majority of attacks were carried out in Newham, east London.
One critic of the videos wrote: “Considering acid attacks are increasingly common in London. This maybe isn’t the best idea…”
Another called Patrick W added: “With the increasing number of acid attacks on the streets of London, this video is anything but funny.”
And a viewer called Jen wrote: “I’m not trying to be one of those ppl (sic) but this could be really scary wih (sic) all the acid attacks going on at the moment.” In November, Arthur Collins, inset, was jailed for 20 years after throwing acid at revellers inside Hackney’s Mangle nightclub.
The thug, who has a daughter with TOWIE star Ferne McCann, injured 14 people in the attack.
Lauren Trent, who was celebrating her 22nd birthday at the club, told how she “could hear the hissing” as the acid hit her skin.
Detective Supt Mike West, the Metropolitan police lead on acid attacks, said of the recent spate of incidents: “It’s very mixed from various religions, backgrounds, different victims, different offenders.”
Police now estimate that there are two attacks every day in the UK. Some major UK retailers have signed up to a plan to ban the sale of corrosive substances to under-18s.
The voluntary scheme was adopted by Wickes, B&Q, Tesco, Wilko and other stores to prevent minors buying the harmful chemicals. Sulphuric acid, which has been commonly used in attacks, can be bought easily online for as little as £10.
Police have admitted that it is hard to control the possession of corrosive substances.
They say it is difficult to spot people carrying them as they are often in ordinary water bottles.