Police are investigating a string of five acid attacks that took place in east London in just 90 minutes last night.
A pair of male suspects on a moped carried out the attacks in Hackney, Stoke Newington and Islington on Thursday night.
All of the victims were taken to hospital, with one of them suffering ‘life-changing injuries’.
The attackers pulled up to five people throwing corrosive liquid over them in five separate but linked attacks between 10.25pm and 11.37pm.
In two of the attacks the victims also had their mopeds stolen.
Police have said one 16-year-old male has been arrested on suspicion of grievous bodily harm and robbery and is currently being held at an east London police station.
The first attack happened on Hackney Road as a 32-year-old man on a moped was left with facial injuries after two male riders on a moped pulled alongside him and attacked.
Little more than 20 minutes later, the pair sprayed a man with a corrosive substance on the Upper Street junction with Highbury Corner in Islington.
At 11.05pm a further victim was attacked on Shoreditch High Street and within 15 minutes the attackers struck again on Cazenove Road causing ‘life-changing’ injuries to a male victim.
The final assault of the night happened at about 11.37pm when a man on a moped was confronted as he sat in traffic on Chatsworth Road.
The attackers sprayed liquid in his face before stealing his vehicle and fleeing.
A witness to the Hackney Road attack, Sarah Cobbold, told the Press Association:
It was just outside my flat: the victim was literally stood on my doorstep.
It was probably about 10.30pm. I saw some reports that it happened at 10.25pm so by 10.30pm there were a couple of police cars and an ambulance there …
Police had cordoned off the little area around the pavement and there was just a guy standing on my doorway and they were pouring huge, five-litre bottles of water over his head.
He was standing, he seemed to be OK. After probably about 10-15 minutes he managed to walk unaided into the ambulance.
The attacks come just weeks after Resham Khan, 21, and her cousin, Jameel Muhktar, 37, were attacked in Beckton, East London, in June on Khan’s 21st birthday.
Attacks involving corrosive substances have more than doubled in England since 2012 with London having the most dramatic rise in recent years.
According to The Metropolitan Police, there were 261 attacks in 2015, rising to 458 last year.
So far this year, excluding last night, 119 such attacks have been recorded.
Any witnesses, anyone with information or in possession of footage of these incidents should contact police on 101 or tweet @MetCC.
To remain anonymous you can call Crimestoppers on 0800 555 111.
