London hotel hammer attack treated as attempted murder by police

http://www.theguardian.com/uk-news/2014/apr/07/cumberland-hotel-hammer-attack-attempted-murder

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Detectives are hunting for a hammer attacker who bludgeoned three women from the United Arab Emirates in a London hotel room in the middle of the night.

The victims, all believed to be in their 30s, were in bed at the four-star Cumberland Hotel near Marble Arch after a day's shopping when they were hit in the face and head by the hammer-wielding intruder who police believe may have been robbing them.

Detectives were called on Sunday morning and believe the suspect was disturbed when some of the occupants of the room woke up. He left the hammer and fled, possibly in blood-stained clothes, such was the ferocity of the attack.

One of the women was in a critical but stable condition at a London hospital on Monday night. The other two sustained serious, but not life-threatening injuries. Police are treating the incident as an attempted murder and are exploring whether the women were followed.

"This is an exceptionally unusual and rare incident to have taken place in a busy London hotel and we are working to identify and secure CCTV as well as forensic evidence opportunities," said Det Supt Carl Mehta of the Metropolitan police's homicide and major crime command.

"At this early stage in the investigation, we believe the motive for this attack to be theft. However, we retain an open mind. We also understand hotel room security was not breached and the door to the family's room was unlocked at the time of the incident. We are working closely with the family and the hotel to explore this further."

It is believed the women had left their door unlocked because they were staying in hotel as part of a large family group. They were sleeping with three children aged seven to 12, who were unharmed, in two adjoining rooms.

Police want to speak to anyone who saw a man loitering suspiciously or leaving the hotel hurriedly.

Khalifa Alzaabi, an Emirati national staying at the hotel, said that one of the women, ran from the seventh floor to the first after the attack. Police would not comment on speculation about the victims' identities or which part of the UAE they were from.

Another guest at the 1,000-room hotel, Hasan Mohamed, 28, also from the UAE and on his first visit to London, said he and his wife were awoken by screaming at about 1.45am.

"She was screaming that she regretted coming to London; she was shouting about what had happened to her sisters," he said. "She said two of her sisters' heads were bleeding. I was very afraid. We didn't see her, we just heard her screaming. It was very loud and woke us both up." He said that the news had spread around the Emirati community at home.

Robin Hibbert, head of operations at New West End Company, which represents businesses in the West End, stressed that the attack was rare.

He said: "This is very much an isolated and extraordinary incident for London, one of the safest cities in the world. We have spoken with the hotel who are focused on providing support to the families involved as well as guests, many of whom are regular customers."

Mike DeNoma, chief executive of the Guoman group, which owns the hotel, said: "We are very concerned for their family and our employees. We are doing everything we can to assist the police with their enquiries. We just don't know at this stage how it happened."