5 victims assaulted in 70 minutes
UK - Five men were attacked with acid in London yesterday with one man suffering life-changing facial injuries in what police are treating as linked assaults.
The five attacks, which took place over 70 minutes, are the latest in a spike of incidents using corrosive liquids as weapons in robberies and gang-related violence in the British capital. Police said at least four of the five attacks involved two males on a moped, and in at least two cases the attackers stole mopeds belonging to their victims. Another incident involved a robbery.
A teenage male has been arrested on suspicion of grievous bodily harm and robbery, and is currently in custody at an east London police station. Police are appealing for witnesses to come forward.
Four of the attacks happened in London’s eastern borough of Hackney, and one other in Islington in the city’s north. All five victims were taken to hospital. According to a report released by the Metropolitan Police Service in March, acid attacks are on the rise in London. In 2014, there were 166 filed incidents, rising to 261 in 2015, and 454 in 2016. Police have told CNN that trend has continued this year. Acid attacks in London are largely concentrated in the city’s east. London’s police chief Cressida Dick explained that it was not happening across all boroughs.
(CNN.COM)