Story highlights Acid attacks are on the rise in London, according to a report released by the police

Police said at least four of the five attacks involved two males on a moped

London (CNN) Five men were attacked with acid in London, with one man suffering life-changing facial injuries in what police on Friday were treating as linked assaults.

The five attacks on Thursday night, which were reported to police over a 70-minute period, are the latest in a spike of incidents using corrosive liquids as weapons in robberies and gang-related violence in the British capital.

Police said at least four of the five attacks involved two males on a moped, and in at least two cases the attackers stole mopeds belonging to their victims. Another incident involved a robbery.

A 16-year-old boy was arrested on suspicion of grievous bodily harm and robbery, and is currently in custody at an east London police station. A 15-year-old boy was later taken into custody on the same allegations, according to police, who appealed for witnesses to come forward.

Four of the attacks happened in the eastern borough of Hackney, and one other in Islington, in the city's north. All five victims were taken to hospital.

Emergency services attend the scene at Hackney Road.

Read More</s>LONDON — Five men were attacked with acid in London on Thursday night with one man suffering life-changing facial injuries in what police are treating as linked assaults.

The five attacks, which were reported to police over a 70-minute period, are the latest in a spike of incidents using corrosive liquids as weapons in robberies and gang-related violence in the British capital.

Police said at least four of the five attacks involved two males on a moped, and in at least two cases the attackers stole mopeds belonging to their victims. Another incident involved a robbery.

A 16-year-old boy has been arrested on suspicion of grievous bodily harm and robbery, and is currently in custody at an east London police station. Police are appealing for witnesses to come forward.

Four of the attacks happened in London’s eastern borough of Hackney, and one other in Islington in the city’s north. All five victims were taken to hospital.

According to a report released by the Metropolitan Police Service in March, acid attacks are on the rise in London. In 2014, there were 166 filed incidents, rising to 261 in 2015, and 454 in 2016. Police have told CNN that trend has continued this year.

Acid attacks in London are largely concentrated in the city’s east. London’s police chief Cressida Dick explained that it was not happening across all boroughs.

“But we are concerned because the numbers appear to be going up. We will arrest people. We will enforce the law as we can. We are working very closely with the Home Office to try to see whether there’s any changes in the law required,” she told LBC Radio.

Sarah Newton, an official from the Home Office, told the BBC that tighter restrictions on acids and tougher penalties for their misuse were being discussed.

“I and my colleagues in the Home Office have been increasingly concerned about the escalation of instances — especially in London. So, we’ve been working with the Metropolitan Police and community policing some months now,” she said.

Parliament is due to debate the issue on Monday next week at the request of MP Stephen Timms from the main opposition Labour Party.

“Too many people are frightened of becoming a victim. Ministers need to act,” said Timms in a statement before Thursday assaults.

Corrosive acids are still quite easy to purchase from local, everyday stores around the UK.

Acid was in the past more commonly used in personal disputes, often perpetrated by men against their female partners. Several other recent acid attacks in London have appeared to be racially motivated.

Following an attack in June on 21-year-old aspiring model Resham Khan and her cousin Jameel Muhktar, a petition on Change.org demanding that the UK Parliament require individuals purchasing acid to hold a special license now has almost 370,000 signatures.</s>On the night of 13 July, within the space of 72 minutes, five Londoners had acid thrown in their faces with at least one of them suffering "life changing injuries".

It was not an isolated incident. So called acid attacks, in which victims have highly corrosive substances thrown or sprayed into their faces, have risen by 175% in the last two years in London.

Getting hold of this terrifying weapon couldn't be easier. Anyone over 18 can buy drain cleaner from a local hardware store that can be used to blind and disfigure another person for life.

Any corrosive substance can be used in an acid attack though the most common are sulphuric acid, nitric acid and ammonia.

All of these substances can be bought in their pure forms online. They are not controlled substances and have multiple uses in agriculture and as cleaning agents.

But would-be acid attackers do not need to open accounts with online chemical retailers in order to acquire them.

A basic search for drain cleaners on Amazon reveals 'One Shot Instant Drain Cleaner' – a large white bottle that claims to be 91% sulphuric acid. A litre of the product costs just £6.77. It is also listed on the website of major UK retailer, B&Q.

The effect of this everyday cleaning substance on the human face is horrifying. Resham Khan, an aspiring model, was celebrating her 21st birthday last month when she was sprayed with acid.

She has been left badly disfigured by the attack, which a man is being tried for. It is not known what kind of acid was used.

"I'm devastated," she said. "I keep wondering if my life will ever be the same. Acid attacks in the UK are unheard of for me. My 21st birthday. My glow up complete. Just got back to the country. And now I'll probably never look the same."

The ready availability of highly corrosive substances helps explain why acid attacks in the capital have risen by 175% in two years. The Met recorded 454 "crimes involving ammonia or other noxious substances" in 2016, up from 166 in 2014 and 162 in 2012.

Figures obtained by the BBC also showed the vast majority of attacks are taking place in East London. Some 323 (70%) of the attacks in 2016 took place in one of seven boroughs: Barking & Dagenham, Hackney, Havering, Newham, Redbridge, Tower Hamlets and Waltham Forest.

Four of the 13 July attacks took place mostly in Hackney, while the other incident was in neighbouring Islington.

There were 149 attacks in Newham alone, where model Khan was disfigured. This has earned the borough the unfortunate reputation as the 'acid attack capital of Britain.'

Now MPs and victims such as Khan are calling for a change in the legislature to stop this terrifying crime trend.

While they acknowledge that that the substances cannot be outlawed completely, they believe there should be restrictions on who they can be sold to and carried by, as with knives.

"Simply walking around the street with a bottle of sulphuric acid, that should be an offence, Labour MP for East Ham Stephen Timms told the BBC.

"We could certainly come up with arrangements that would allow people to use sulphuric acid in the normal way, perhaps with the benefit of a licence," he added.

Although acid attacks are spiking, their incidence is still dwarfed by knife crime in London. In the year to April 2017 there were 4,415 recorded knife crimes where someone was injured and 12,074 knife crimes in total. The latter figure includes people found in possession of a knife rather than an attack.

In July 2015 the Met launched Operation Sceptre, ramping up weapons searches and test purchases in shops that sell knives. In October last year this led to 399 weapons being taken off the streets of London – the highest since the ongoing operation began.

Sceptre was launched alongside a change in the law that meant anyone caught carrying a knife for a second time would be mandatorily sent to jail.

There are fears that an unintended consequence of this crackdown on knife crime is that gang members will instead be carrying acid, which is perfectly legal, as their weapon of choice, though this is not a claim that can be substantiated by evidence.</s>(LONDON) — Five linked acid attacks in quick succession by men on mopeds in London left several people injured, British police said Friday — the latest in a spate of such crimes that have alarmed residents and politicians.

The Metropolitan Police force said the 90-minute attack began late Thursday. Two men on a moped tossed a noxious substance into the face of a 32-year-old moped driver, then jumped on his vehicle and drove away.

The pattern was repeated across a swath of east London. At least one victim, a man in his 20s, was left with life-changing injuries, police said.

A 16-year-old boy was arrested on suspicion of robbery and grievous bodily harm, and police appealed to the public for more information.

The assaults come after a spate of high-profile attacks, including one in which a man is accused of throwing acid at an aspiring model and her cousin as they sat in their car. A 25-year-old man has been charged in that case.

London police say the number of reported attacks with corrosive liquids rose from 261 in 2015 to 454 in 2016. Some appear related to gang activity or the theft of cars and motorbikes.

In April, acid was sprayed at a crowded east London club night, leaving two revelers partially blinded and others disfigured. A man has been charged and is awaiting trial.

The spike in attacks has prompted some lawmakers to call for restrictions on the sale and carrying of corrosive liquids such as sulfuric acid.

London's police chief, Cressida Dick, said officers were concerned by the increase in the "completely barbaric" attacks.

"We will arrest people, we will enforce the law as we can, and we are working very closely with the (government) to try to see if there is any changes in the law required," she told LBC radio.</s>Five linked acid attacks in quick succession by men on mopeds in London left several people injured, British police said Friday - the latest in a spate of such crimes that have alarmed residents and politicians. (July 14) AP</s>British police arrested a teenager on Friday after five acid attacks in less than 90 minutes across east London left several people with facial burns, including one with horrific injuries.

Two assailants on a moped pulled up alongside a 32-year-old man in the Hackney area of east London late on Thursday (local time) and threw acid in his face before one of the pair made off with the victim's moped.

In the next hour and a half, three other men across Hackney and one in the neighbouring borough of Islington had corrosive substances hurled at them, police said.

After one of the robberies in Hackney, a man was left with facial injuries described by police as "life-changing".

"A male in his teens has been arrested on suspicion of grievous bodily harm and robbery," the London police service said.

"He is currently in custody at an east London police station."

The number of reported attacks with corrosive liquids rose from 261 in 2015 to 454 in 2016, according to police, with some appearing to be related to gang activity or the theft of cars and motorbikes.

Metropolitan Police Commissioner Cressida Dick said that while still relatively rare, officers were concerned by the increase in attacks.

"The acid can cause horrendous injuries. The ones last night involved a series of robberies we believe are linked."

The assaults come after a spate of high-profile attacks, including one in April in which acid was sprayed at a crowded east London club night, leaving two revellers partially blinded and others disfigured.

Two Australians were among 12 injured in that attack, and a man has been charged and is awaiting trial.

The spike in attacks has prompted some lawmakers to call for restrictions on the sale and carrying of corrosive liquids such as sulfuric acid.</s>These are external links and will open in a new window

A teenager has been arrested after corrosive substances were thrown in people's faces in five attacks across north-east London.

Two men on a moped carried out the attacks over 90 minutes in Hackney, Stoke Newington and Islington on Thursday night.

One of the victims suffered "life-changing injuries".

The assaults happened amid increasing concern about the sharp rise in acid attacks in London.

Since 2010 there have been more than 1,800 reports of attacks involving corrosive fluids in the capital. Last year, it was used in 458 crimes, compared to 261 in 2015, according to Met Police figures.

Met Commissioner Cressida Dick said the growing trend of victims being doused with corrosive liquids was concerning.

"The acid can cause horrendous injuries," she said.

"The ones last night involved a series of robberies we believe are linked - I am glad to see we have arrested somebody.

"I don't want people to think this is happening all over London all the time, it is really not, but we are concerned because the numbers appear to be going up.

"We will arrest people, we will enforce the law as we can, and we are working very closely with the Home Office to try to see if there is any changes in the law required."

Police said the latest attacks were linked and were questioning the teenager at an east London police station on suspicion of robbery and causing grievous bodily harm.

The attacks began at 22:25 BST on Thursday in Hackney Road.

A 32-year-old man on a moped was left with facial injuries after another moped, with two male riders, pulled up alongside him and threw a corrosive substance in his face.

One of the men stole his moped and the other drove away on the vehicle they arrived on.

The Met said it was awaiting an update on the extent of the victim's injuries. Inquiries are ongoing.
• At 22:25 BST on Thursday in Hackney Road a 32-year-old man on a moped was left with facial injuries after a moped, with two male riders, pulled up alongside him and attacked him.
• At 22:49 BST a man was reported to have had a corrosive substance thrown in his face by two men on a moped in Islington.
• At 23:05 BST a corrosive substance was reported to have been thrown in the face of a person by two men on a moped in Shoreditch High Street. The victim has been taken to hospital, although police said the injuries were not believed to be life threatening or life changing.
• At 23:18 BST police received reports of a robbery in Cazenove Road, Stoke Newington, where a corrosive substance had been thrown. Officers attended and found a man suffering from facial injuries that have been described as life changing.
• At about 23:37 BST, a man on a moped was in traffic on Chatsworth Road, Clapton when two men on a moped pulled up alongside him and sprayed liquid in his face, before stealing his vehicle. The victim was taken to an east London hospital.

Assaults involving corrosive substances have more than doubled in England since 2012, with the number of acid attacks in the capital showing the most dramatic rise in recent years.

The Met's own figures show there were 261 acid attacks in 2015, rising to 458 last year.

So far this year - excluding Thursday night - the Met has recorded 119 such attacks.

Shadow Home Secretary and Stoke Newington MP Dianne Abbott responded to news of the attacks, tweeting: "More terrible acid attacks, Why would you scar someone for life just to steal a moped."

Labour MP for East Ham Stephen Timms has tabled an adjournment debate for Monday in the House of Commons on the rise in the number of acid attacks.

About a third of last year's acid attacks in the capital took place in the London borough of Newham, which is in his constituency.

Mr Timms told BBC Radio 4's Today programme that carrying a bottle of sulphuric acid without justification should be treated as an offence, like carrying a knife, adding he was "most concerned about sulphuric acid."

"We could certainly come up with arrangements that would allow people to use sulphuric acid in the normal way, perhaps with the benefit of a licence. But simply walking around the street with a bottle of sulphuric acid, that should be an offence," he said.

Home Office minister Sarah Newton told BBC Radio 5 live Breakfast the government was considering tighter controls on some chemicals in response to the acid attacks in East London and elsewhere.

But she said regulation would be difficult, as "these chemicals are under everyone's kitchen sinks".

She said it was clear acid was being used "as a weapon" and work had been commissioned "to understand the motivation" of people who use it to injure others.

She also said the government was examining sentencing for those who use acid to injure people.

Did you witness the attacks? Email with your stories.

Please include a contact number if you are willing to speak to a BBC journalist. You can also contact us in the following ways:
• Send an SMS or MMS to 61124 or +44 7624 800 100</s>5 Injured In Series Of Acid Attacks In London

Updated at 11 a.m. ET

Assailants riding a moped carried out a series of acid attacks in London overnight leaving several people with facial burns, including one victim with what police described as "life changing" injuries. Authorities announced two arrests in the case.

Metropolitan Police said there were five separate attacks late Thursday across a large section of east London lasting about 90 minutes. The assailants are also suspects in the theft of at least one motorbike, linked to one of the attacks.

"Two assailants on a moped pulled up alongside a 32-year-old man in the Hackney area of east London [9:24 p.m. local time] on Thursday and threw acid in his face before one of the pair made off with the victim's moped. "In the next hour and a half, three other men across Hackney and one in the [neighboring] borough of Islington had corrosive substances hurled at them, police said."

Police said two boys, aged 15 and 16, were arrested in connection with the attacks and charged with robbery and grievous bodily harm. The Associated Press reports that: "One was arrested near the scene of the attack and the other at an address in east London on Friday."

The BBC quotes Hackney resident Jon Moody as saying that he was watching television and then suddenly heard screaming outside.

"I heard a high-pitched scream but thought it was the boys playing football... I heard more shouting and ran to my window," Moody said, according to BBC. "I could see a man in serious distress, he was screaming in pain."

The Evening Standard newspaper reports that nearly 1,500 acid attacks were reported in London in the past six years.

Metropolitan Police Chief Cressida Dick, speaking in a radio interview, condemned the attacks as "barbaric" and described the injuries that result from them as "horrendous."

"It's a new trend in this country," she told LBC. "I don't want people to think that this is happening all over London all of the time - it's really not, but we are concerned because the numbers appear to be going up."</s>Teenager arrested after five acid attacks in London

Police presence in London is very much obvious these days after a recent spate of attacks in public areas. — Reuters picLONDON, July 14 — British police said today they arrested a teenager after five acid attacks in east London left several people with facial injuries including one with “life-changing” effects.

One of the victims had been on a moped when two assailants pulled up alongside him in another moped and threw a corrosive substance in his face, the Metropolitan police said. One of the pair then stole the vehicle.

Police were called to the first acid attack at 2125 GMT yesterday, followed by four other incidents within the following hour and a half all in the east London area, which police said they were treating as linked.

Officers said they were continuing to investigate but had arrested a young man.

“A male, in his teens has been arrested on suspicion of grievous bodily harm and robbery. He is currently in custody at an east London police station.” — Reuters</s>LONDON, July 14 (Reuters) - British police arrested a teenager on Friday after five acid attacks in less than 90 minutes across east London left several people with facial burns, including one with horrific injuries.

Two assailants on a moped pulled up alongside a 32-year-old man in the Hackney area of east London at 2125 GMT on Thursday and threw acid in his face before one of the pair made off with the victim's moped.

In the next hour and a half, three other men across Hackney and one in the neighbouring borough of Islington had corrosive substances hurled at them, police said.

After one of the robberies in Hackney, a man was left with facial injuries described by police as life-changing.

"A male in his teens has been arrested on suspicion of grievous bodily harm and robbery," the London police service said. "He is currently in custody at an east London police station."

Metropolitan Police Commissioner Cressida Dick said that while still relatively rare, the number of acid attacks appeared to have risen in the capital.

"I don't want people to think that this is happening all over London all of the time - it's really not, but we are concerned because the numbers appear to be going up," Dick told the LBC radio station in an interview.

"Acid attacks are completely barbaric," Dick said. "The acid can cause horrendous injuries. The ones last night involved a series of robberies we believe are linked." (Editing by Guy Faulconbridge and Gareth Jones)
Five men in London are attacked with acid in five linked attacks. Two teenaged suspects are taken into custody.