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| Arsenal's Mesut Ozil and Sead Kolasinac face carjacking gang | Arsenal's Mesut Ozil and Sead Kolasinac face carjacking gang |
| (about 1 hour later) | |
| Two Premier League footballers have been involved in a carjacking attempt by an armed gang in a London street. | Two Premier League footballers have been involved in a carjacking attempt by an armed gang in a London street. |
| Arsenal players Mesut Ozil and Sead Kolasinac were targeted, the club confirmed, but both escaped uninjured. | Arsenal players Mesut Ozil and Sead Kolasinac were targeted, the club confirmed, but both escaped uninjured. |
| Footage on social media appears to show Kolasinac chasing the robbers in Platts Lane, near Golders Green, at about 17:00 BST. | Footage on social media appears to show Kolasinac chasing the robbers in Platts Lane, near Golders Green, at about 17:00 BST. |
| Arsenal said in a statement: "We have been in contact with both players and they are fine." | Arsenal said in a statement: "We have been in contact with both players and they are fine." |
| In a video that has circulated on social media, full-back Kolasinac is seen fighting off two men who are wielding knives. | In a video that has circulated on social media, full-back Kolasinac is seen fighting off two men who are wielding knives. |
| The player can be seen jumping out of a vehicle to confront the masked men who had pulled alongside the car on mopeds. | The player can be seen jumping out of a vehicle to confront the masked men who had pulled alongside the car on mopeds. |
| In the footage, both carjackers were seen to be armed and were filmed brandishing knives at 26-year-old Kolasinac. | In the footage, both carjackers were seen to be armed and were filmed brandishing knives at 26-year-old Kolasinac. |
| 'Ninja-style' | |
| Eyewitness Simon Collins 46, of Golders Green said he saw two men on mopeds chasing the wagon on Finchley Road. | |
| "They had roof tiles in their hands and were all blacked up, ninja-style. I think the intention was to smash the tiles through the wagon window. | |
| "They were proper masked up, nasty types with no plates on the mopeds." | |
| Broadcaster and Arsenal fan Piers Morgan tweeted that Kolašinac should be made captain with "immediate effect following the incident". | Broadcaster and Arsenal fan Piers Morgan tweeted that Kolašinac should be made captain with "immediate effect following the incident". |
| Former Republic of Ireland international Jonathan Walters also tweeted in support of Kolašinac, calling him a "proper player". | Former Republic of Ireland international Jonathan Walters also tweeted in support of Kolašinac, calling him a "proper player". |
| While some fans showed their concern for the player. | While some fans showed their concern for the player. |
| 'High-profile cars targeted' | |
| The owner of a London property near where the players were attacked said he had been targeted five times in the same area. | |
| The man, who did not want to be named, said he had a knife held to his neck in one incident. | |
| He urged police to act after what he said was a spate of crimes in that part of north-west London. | |
| He said: "I had a knife held to my neck at midday at the traffic lights, I was physically thrown in a bus lane at 06:30 when I was coming out of my office - the list goes on and on." | |
| Asked about the incident involving Arsenal players, a Met Police spokesman said: "It was reported that suspects on motorbikes had attempted to rob a man who was driving a car. | |
| "The driver, along with his passenger, managed to get away unharmed and travelled to a restaurant in Golders Green, where they were spoken to by officers." | "The driver, along with his passenger, managed to get away unharmed and travelled to a restaurant in Golders Green, where they were spoken to by officers." |
| Kolasinac and midfielder Ozil are not the first footballers to be targeted on London's roads. | Kolasinac and midfielder Ozil are not the first footballers to be targeted on London's roads. |
| In 2016, then West Ham striker Andy Carroll was threatened at gunpoint on his way home from training. | In 2016, then West Ham striker Andy Carroll was threatened at gunpoint on his way home from training. |