Police in London have arrested two teenage girls on suspicion of robbery following an attack on a Jewish woman in Haringey. The Met Police said that the victim, who was 20, was approached by the girls on Rostrevor Avenue. They attacked her and stole her bag at 4.30 pm on 7 December. The girls, 13 and 14 years old, were apprehended at an address in Haringey at about midday on 9 December. The victim suffered bruises and was shaken but didn’t require hospital treatment.
The Met has said that it is treating the robbery as a potential hate crime. The detective on the case, Det Sgt Asli Benson, praised the arrests as “a very positive development”. She added that the fact that the victim was obviously Jewish, due to her attire, had led to fears that she had been targeted for this reason. Benson said that the police were still exploring possible motives, while keeping “an open mind’ regarding the incident.
CCTV routines images taken near the scene of the crime suggested that the girls were wearing school uniforms, leading detectives to liaise with schools officers to identify the suspects. Both girls remain in custody.
The incident will be met with anxiety by UK Jewish communities that have been increasingly targeted by anti-Semitic activity in recent years. The rise has been associated with the conflict in the Middle East and a wider growth in right-wing extremism
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