Daily Mirror (Northern Ireland)
Prem star fights off baseball bat robbers
Gabriel punched thug who demanded car key
ARSENAL defender Gabriel fought off masked armed robbers who tried to steal his £45,000 Mercedes from the garage of his luxury home.
The Brazilian had just returned home and parked the car when he was approached by two men, while a third waited outside near his gates.
One of the gang, Abdi Muse, 26, was armed with a baseball bat.
Together with his accomplice he ordered Gabriel to hand over his car keys, which Gabriel did.
Muse then made a grab for him but the footballer punched him in the face.
Footage of the incident has now been released which shows the struggle.
The robbers fled with Gabriel’s keys but left the car behind at the player’s home in Barnet, North London.
Gunners manager Mikel Arteta praised the way his player had handled the robbery, which happened in August.
He said: “It’s not a nice thing to go through, when you have family involved and they’re trying to access your house.
“Gabby showed a lot of character, you see the reaction he had straight away. Credit to the boy, after that he was fine.
“He was shocked and obviously wanted to change a few things to make sure that didn’t happen again. The club gave him all the support that was needed to try to help him forget about the situation and move on.”
Muse, from Tottenham, was jailed for five years last month by a judge at Harrow crown court after admitting robbery and possessing an offensive weapon. Police traced him through DNA on a hat knocked off in the struggle.
Arsenal bought Gabriel from French club Lille for £27million in September 2020. At the time of the robbery he had been sidelined with a knee injury but he has since recovered and made 10 Premier League appearances this season.
It was not the first time an Arsenal star has fought off raiders.
Two thugs tried to rob Bosnia defender Sead Kolasinac and German midfielder Mesut Ozil – who has since left the club – in 2019.
However, Kolasinac fought back and was able to jump into Ozil’s car before the pair made a getaway.
It’s not a nice thing when you have family involved MIKEL ARTETA REACTING TO ATTACK ON HIS PLAYER