London - A suspected acid attack in east London injured six people, police said on Sunday adding that they had arrested a 15-year-old male.

Police were called late on Saturday to the Stratford Centre near London's Olympic Stadium after a noxious substance was sprayed during an argument between two groups of males.

They said the incident was not terror related.

There were 431 acid attacks in London last year, 398 of which were carried out in Stratford's borough of Newham.

Police said "the injuries sustained were not "life-threatening or life-changing".

"We are working with the Home Office to explore possible restrictions around the sale of corrosive substances in conjunction with retailers and manufacturers."

Witnesses told the Press Association that an argument had broken out shortly beforehand.

Burger King employee Hossen, 28, said a local homeless man came into the fast food outlet "to wash acid off his face". </s> At least six people have been injured in a massive acid attack after a gang of men sprayed a noxious substance into crowds near a shopping centre.

Police rushed to the Stratford Shopping Centre in east London at 8pm and treated the injured in the next door tube station.

Dramatic video and images shared on social media appeared to show police attending to victims at Stratford tube station just yards from the shopping centre.

Eyewitnesses described the panic in the moments after the mass attack as 'a lot of police, a lot of fire engines and a lot of ambulances' arrived at the scene to treat the injured.

So far one man has been arrested on suspicion of GHB. The incident is not being treated as a terror attack, a police spokesperson confirmed.

The Metropolitan Police said: 'Police were called just before 8pm to the area around Stratford Shopping Centre to reports of a group of males spraying what is believed to be a noxious substance.

'A number of people have been reported injured at different locations - believed to be six people. We await further details.

'One male has been arrested on suspicion of GBH. Officers remain on scene. A cordon is in place. Enquiries continue.'

There were no reports of injuries from the Westfield shopping centre which is 200 yards from the Stratford shopping centre.

Nate Higgins, who saw the emergency services arriving at the scene, told MailOnline: 'There were a lot of police, a lot of fire engines and a lot of ambulances.

'As I was leaving there were still more and more coming down the road. I was in the shopping centre when it happened and as I was coming out I saw them all arriving.

RECENT CHANGES TO LAWS ON ACID Anyone caught carrying acid will now be charged with carrying an offensive weapon - the same charge used to convict people unlawfully carrying a knife or a gun. This gives the courts the power to sentence defendants up to four years in prison - even if the acid hasn't been thrown or used as a part of a crime. The changes mean anyone now arrested for throwing acid deliberately - even if not intended to harm - could be sentenced to life imprisonment. The Crown Prosecution Service has tweaked the guidelines to give the judges and magistrates more power to sentence defendants to longer prison terms.

'There were at least 10 different vehicles and it didn't seem to be a settled thing.'

Another witness Harry Green, 19, got off the tube in the moments after the incident.

He told MailOnline he witnessed the 'chaotic aftermath'.

'There were police officers with dogs everywhere, the whole station was at a standstill,' she said.

It was worrying as it was obvious something had just happened. It was just chaos.'

'As we stepped off the tube there were dozens of people giving statements to officers looking distressed as though something had just happened.

'We didn't see anyone injured but there were lots of ambulances on the scene but it seems they were taken away pretty promptly.

'We witnessed the aftermath, the emergency services seemed to have responded very quickly. There was a lot of confusion around, a lot of people didn't know what had happened or why they were stuck in the station.'

Mr Green said it was scary to hear of an attack. He has just moved to the city from Lincoln to begin an apprenticeship. </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) </s> Six people were reportedly injured in “a number of attacks” possibly involving acid near a shopping center in east London on Saturday night, according to Metropolitan Police.

A police spokesman told the Evening Standard that police were called to an area near Stratford shopping center before 8 p.m. local time, responding to reports of “a group of males spraying what is believed to be a noxious substance.”

At least one man has been arrested on suspicion of causing grievous bodily harm.

A 28-year-old man who was at the scene of the attack told the Guardian that, after the attack, a victim and his friend ran into a restroom at a fast food restaurant “to wash acid off his face.”

“There were cuts around his eyes and he was trying to chuck water into them,” the witness, who identified himself as Hossen, told the Guardian.

London Ambulance Service officials said they have treated at least five victims and have taken three of them to the hospital.

“We have sent a number of resources to the scene including paramedics in cars, ambulance crews an incident response officer and our Hazardous Area Response Team,” officials said in a statement.

We have treated at least five people and taken three of them to hospital following the incident in #Stratford. We remain on scene. pic.twitter.com/MgF5jgHeYo — London Ambulance (@Ldn_Ambulance) September 23, 2017

Mark White, a correspondent for Sky News U.K., said in a tweet that police told him the “suspected mass acid attack” is not believed to be an act of terrorism.

Witnesses of the attack tweeted photos of emergency responders treating the victims behind privacy screens. </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> In the Westfield shopping center in Stratford, east London, police rushed to the scene after reports of groups of brawling males hurling a “noxious substance” at each other.

The substance turned out to be acid, which seems to be part of a growing trend to use the caustic, disfiguring acid as a weapon.

Six people in different locations have sustained injuries from the acid attack. All injuries, according to Chief Superintendent Ade Adelekan, borough commander for Newham, were tied to a single attack.

The London Ambulance Service and the Fire Brigade were both on the scene. The London Ambulance Service says its medics arrived within the first 10 minutes. Six people were treated while three were taken to London hospitals. As of now, a 15-year-old male has been arrested on suspicion of grievous bodily harm.

England is witnessing a horrifying surge in cases of acid attack. In July, a 15-year-old boy was arrested after a string of acid attacks left five people injured. Moreover, reports revealed that the number of acid attacks until March this year, 504, dwarfed the total number of acid attacks in 2012, which was 183.

Ade Adelekan addressed the situation, saying, “I recognize the lasting impact on victims of corrosive substance attacks. Our response to such attacks is continually improving through training and joint working with partners and we are working with the Home Office to explore possible restrictions around the sale of corrosive substances in conjunction with retailers and manufacturers.” </s> Six people have been injured in an acid attack at the Stratford Centre shopping mall in east London.

The Metropolitan police arrested a 15-year-old boy at the busy Westfield Stratford Shopping Centre on Saturday night, and have launched a manhunt looking for other suspects.

Three of the victims had to be rushed to hospital after being hit with the substance, during an apparent ‘altercation’ between two groups of males.

Horrified onlookers reported scenes of panic in the aftermath of the incident, which was first feared to be a series of random attacks.

One witness described seeing a young male victim screaming in pain as his friends shouted ‘it’s an acid attack, he’s burning!’, while others rushed to wash the substance from their skin.

The teenager was arrested on suspicion of causing grievous bodily harm.

Scotland Yard said the altercation happened just before 8pm on Saturday evening: ‘During this incident a noxious substance was thrown. When the liquid was thrown, both groups ran from the scene.’

Witness Imran Tahir Rizvi said he overheard the friends of one victim, aged 18 or 19, shouting about an ‘acid attack’, then saw a young man lying on the floor screaming of a burning pain.

‘[They were] screaming and shouting for help as he was feeling a burning sensation on his skin,’ he said. ‘His fellows were shouting at police for something. Initially people thought like it was a fight. But the guys (with) the victim started shouting “it’s an acid attack, he’s burning”.’

He also shot a video, which showed a man sitting on the station floor ‘crying [and] shouting in pain’ while surrounded by paramedics.

A Burger King assistant manager who gave his name as Hossen, 28, said that he saw a victim and his friend, a known local homeless man, run in to the restaurant’s bathroom ‘to wash acid off his face’.

‘There were cuts around his eyes and he wa strying to chuck water into them,’ he said.

Members of the London Ambulance Service (LAS) hazardous area response team raced to the scene after the alarm was raised.

Paul Gibson, assistant director of operations for LAS, said teams arrived within 10 minutes of the first emergency call and provided first aid with help from the police and London Fire Brigade.

‘We treated six patients in total and took three to London hospitals,’ he said.

Scotland Yard said all the victims were male and inquiries are ongoing into the incident.

Ch Sup Ade Adelekan, Newham borough commander, said: ‘I would like to be very clear concerning this incident. What initially may have been perceived as a number of random attacks has, on closer inspection, been found to be one incident involving two groups of males.’ </s> Six people were believed to have been injured on Saturday after a group of males reportedly sprayed a noxious substance in a number of attacks in an area around a shopping centre in east London, the police said.

The incident was not being treated as terror-related, a police spokesman said.

The attacks occurred near the Stratford Centre, in Stratford, the police said. Earlier they had said the incident took place around the bigger Westfield shopping centre which is nearby.

"A number of people have been reported injured at different locations — believed to be six people. We await further details," London's Metropolitan Police said in a statement.

One male was arrested on suspicion of causing grievous bodily harm, the statement said.

The incident occurred around 1900 GMT, it said.

Photographs posted online showed police officers crouching over an apparent victim of the attack as they treated him.

The number of acid attacks has increased in Britain in recent years, linked to robberies and gang-related violence.

The government said in July it would look at tougher punishments for people who attack others using acid. </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
Acid attacks around a mall and tube station in Stratford, East London, leaves 6 injured. A 15-year-old has been arrested.