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> 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> 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> 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> 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> 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> 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 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> 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
Two people are injured in an acid attack in Beckton, east London.