A 35-year-old man was arrested this morning on suspicion of attacking two teenagers outside a London school with a substance believed to be acid, police said.
ONE 14 year old girl remains in hospital with “possibly irreversible” injuries. The other victim, a 16-year-old boy who suffered less serious injuries in the attack, was released from hospital.
On Monday afternoon, the two teenagers “were approached in front of the school by a man who threw a substance at them before fleeing,” said Scott Ware, chief of Metropolitan Policeresponsible for the investigation.
After starting a “human hunt”police arrested one person this morning. This 35-year-old man, “suspected of causing grievous bodily harm” is still in custody.
ONE 27 years old who worked at the schoolwas slightly injured as he ran to help the two teenagers when they were attacked.
The incident occurred outside the secondary school “after the end of the school term when students and teachers were leaving” the school complex, according to Westminster Academy principal Numera Anwar.
OR London Police announced that it maintains a police presence and surveillance around the school, highlighting the “concern” caused by this attack.
According to official data, 710 attacks with corrosive substances were recorded in 2022 in England and Wales. These reached their peak in 2017 (949), leading authorities to tighten controls on the sale and possession of these substances.
In February, a woman and her two daughters were attacked with a “corrosive substance” in south London. The alleged perpetrator fled and his body was found a few days later in the Thames.
Source: RES/MPE