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16-year-old in custody after 5 people were attacked with acid in London
Screenshot/The Independent
A 16-year-old has been arrested on suspicion of robbery and causing grievous bodily harm after five people were attacked with acid in different locations around east London on Thursday night, Metropolitan Police said in a statement.
The attacks, which authorities believe to be linked, occurred with 90 minutes of each other and resulted in at least one victim suffering "life-changing" injuries, police said.
The first attack was reported at 10:25 p.m. local time in Hackney. A moped with two male drivers pulled alongside another moped driver and threw a "corrosive substance" in his face, police said. The suspects then took off with the victim's vehicle. The 32-year-old victim was taken to east London hospital without life-threatening injuries.
A witness told the Press Association that she saw police pouring water on the victim's face. "Police had cordoned off the little area around the pavement and there was just a guy standing on my doorway and they were pouring huge, five-litre bottles of water over his head."
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Around 20 minutes later, police responded to a similar incident in Highbury. Two males on a moped tossed acid onto the face of another man. The victim was taken to a hospital in north London and police are waiting for an update on his condition.
At 11:05 p.m., a corrosive substance was thrown in the face of man by two males on a moped on Shoreditch High Street. The victim did not sustain life-threatening injuries, police said.
The fourth incident took place about 15 minutes later on Cazenove Road in Stoke Newington. Police said a man in his mid-20s suffered life-changing injuries and the area remains a crime scene.
The final attack occurred at 11:37 p.m. in Clapton. The two suspects pulled up alongside another man on a moped, sprayed liquid in his face, then stole his bike.
Police are appealing for witnesses and information as their investigation continues.
The number of acid attacks in London has increased since 2010, according to figures reported by the BBC from the Metropolitan Police. The number of attacks involving the use of "corrosive fluids" — including murder, robberies, and rapes — jumped from 261 in 2015 to 454 in 2016, with nearly one-third of assaults carried out in east London, the BBC said.
Acid is increasingly used by low-level male criminals because it's inexpensive and easy to buy, according to Max Daly at Vice.
"For young armed offenders operating under increased crackdowns on knives and guns, a chemical weapon has an advantage: it can be carried incognito in a soft drink bottle and is legal, cheap and easy to get hold of," Daly wrote.
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