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Emirates says another family targeted in London

DUBAI, United Arab Emirates (AP) — Several armed men targeted a family from the United Arab Emirates by forcing their way into the family's London apartment weeks after a similar attack in the British capital, state media in the Gulf nation reported Wednesday.

The Emirates' official WAM news agency quoted the country's ambassador to Britain, Abdulrahman Ghanem al-Mutaiwee, as saying that the seven masked intruders wielded hammers, knives and guns.

They stole money, jewelry and credit cards from the Emirati man and his wife, he said.

British police confirmed that they responded to reports of an "aggravated burglary" in the Paddington area of central London early on Tuesday. They did not confirm the nationality of the occupants, but offered the statement in response to a request for information about a robbery involving victims from the UAE. No arrests have been made.

On April 6, a man entered an upscale London hotel room and battered three sisters from the Emirates. Police said theft was the apparent motive.

That attack drew the attention of the top leadership in the Emirates, a seven-state federation that includes Dubai and the oil-rich capital of Abu Dhabi. The Emirati government dispatched a high-level government delegation and police officers to meet with the sisters' family.

All three women in the hotel hammer incident are still in the hospital. One of the victims lost her left eye and has brain injuries, and is described as in "critical but stable condition," according to police.

A London man has been charged with attempted murder and aggravated burglary in the hotel attack, and three other people are charged with handling stolen goods.

The UAE is a former British protectorate with longstanding ties with the United Kingdom. London is a popular destination for Emirati tourists and other wealthy Arabs from the Gulf.

Britain recently introduced an electronic visa waiver system for citizens of the UAE, Qatar and Oman.

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Associated Press writers Jill Lawless and Sylvia Hui in London contributed to this report.

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