Two Teenaged Suspects Arrested in Brutal Assault and Robbery on Jewish Woman in London

By Matis Glenn

London police announced Sunday that they arrested two teenaged girls in connection with a brutal assault and robbery which left an identifiably Jewish woman unconscious last week.

Video of the incident, which occurred Thursday at 4:30 p.m. on Rostrevor Avenue, N15, went viral on social media. Shomrim report that the assailants gleefully wondered if the victim, 20, had died, as she was unconscious after suffering repeated blows. After the assault, the victim’s handbag was stolen.

The suspects, 13 and 14 years old, were arrested on Saturday and are still in police custody as of late Sunday afternoon.

“This was a terrifying incident for the young woman who was attacked. We will continue to ensure she has the right support,” Detective Sergeant Asli Benson, who has led the investigation, said Sunday. “Officers have been pursuing all available lines of enquiry since the incident and these arrests are a very positive development.

Police said that there is “significant concern” that the victim was targeted because she is Jewish.

“In the current climate, when fears and uncertainty in the wider Jewish community are heightened following the terror attacks in Israel and the subsequent rise in antisemitic hate crime here in London, these concerns are entirely understandable,” Benson said.

“While we are keeping an open mind as to the motive behind the incident and will continue to explore all avenues, we are treating this as a possible hate crime,” he continued.