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Six treated after 'noxious substance attack' at Stratford in London Teenager arrested after six injured in 'noxious substance attack' in London
(about 7 hours later)
Six people have been reported injured in a suspected noxious substance attack near an east London shopping centre, police said. Six people have been injured after a noxious substance was thrown during an incident at Westfield shopping mall in east London.
Scotland Yard said officers were called shortly before 8pm on Saturday to the area of Westfield shopping centre in Stratford amid reports of a group of men spraying what is believed to be a noxious substance. A 15-year-old boy has been arrested on suspicion of causing grievous bodily harm in connection with the incident on Saturday evening.
One man has been arrested on suspicion of causing grievous bodily harm. A cordon is in place as emergency workers continue to treat the injured. Three of the victims needed hospital treatment after they were hit with the substance during an “altercation” between two groups of males at the Stratford centre.
A spokesman for the Metropolitan police said the attack was not being treated as terror related. Officers remain at the scene. Onlookers reported scenes of panic in the aftermath of the incident which was first feared to be a series of random attacks.
Witnesses at the scene said an argument had broken out among a group of people. One witness described seeing a young male victim screaming in pain as his friends shouted “it is an acid attack, he is burning”, while others rushed to wash the substance from their skin.
A man who gave his name as Hossen, 28, said he saw a victim and his friend run into bathroom at a fast food outlet “to wash acid off his face”. Scotland Yard said the altercation took place inside the shopping centre shortly before 8pm.
He said: “There were cuts around his eyes and he was trying to chuck water into them.” “During this incident a noxious substance was thrown. When the liquid was thrown, both groups ran from the scene,” the force said.
London ambulance service paramedics and the London fire brigade also attended as a number of victims were reported at different locations within the centre, with the number affected believed to be six people. One witness, Imran Tahir Rizvi, said he overheard the friends of one victim, aged 18 or 19, shouting about an “acid attack”, then saw a young man lying on the floor screaming of a burning pain.
Paul Gibson, assistant director of operations at London ambulance service, said: “We have sent a number of resources to the scene including paramedics, ambulance crews, an incident response officer and our hazardous area response team. “(They were) screaming and shouting for help as he was feeling a burning sensation on his skin,” Rizvi said.
“So far, we have treated at least five patients at the scene and taken three patients to hospital.” “His fellows were shouting at police for something. Initially people thought it was a fight. But the guys (with) the victim started shouting ‘it is an acid attack, he is burning’.”
A man who gave his name as Hossen, 28, a Burger King assistant manager, said he saw a victim and his friend, a known local homeless man, run into the restaurant’s bathroom “to wash acid off his face”.
“There were cuts around his eyes and he was trying to chuck water into them,” he said.
Members of the London ambulance service hazardous area response team arrived at the scene after the alarm was raised.
In a video shot by Rizvi, a man could be seen sitting down “crying (and) shouting in pain “ while surrounded by paramedics.
Paul Gibson, London ambulance assistant director of operations, said teams arrived within 10 minutes of the first emergency call and provided fist aid with help from the police and London fire brigade.
“We treated six patients in total and took three to London hospitals,” he said. Scotland Yard said all the victims were male and inquiries are ongoing into the incident.
Chief superintendent Ade Adelekan, Newham borough commander, said: “I would like to be very clear concerning this incident. What initially may have been perceived as a number of random attacks has, on closer inspection, been found to be one incident involving two groups of males.”
A significant rise in acid attacks in the UK has prompted calls in recent months to restrict the sale of corrosive substances which can be bought easily over the counter.A significant rise in acid attacks in the UK has prompted calls in recent months to restrict the sale of corrosive substances which can be bought easily over the counter.