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Man held after three Jewish women report assaults
On Monday, the Metropolitan Police Service arrested a 33-year-old man in Hackney after he assaulted three Jewish women in the Clapton Common area, one of whom was pushing a baby in a pram.
Shomrim, a Jewish neighborhood watch group, detained the suspect after receiving reports that he specifically targeted visibly Jewish women. The man also had outstanding warrants, authorities said.
Volunteers arrived about 30 seconds after the initial call and witnessed the man punching a second Jewish woman twice in the face, leaving her with significant bruising.
Ch Insp Erica Crawshaw called the assault "an alarming and distressing incident" as the Metropolitan Police Service treated it as a suspected antisemitic hate crime and increased patrols in Hackney.
Authorities further arrested the man for a separate incident in Islington on Friday, and Shomrim is appealing for additional witnesses or victims to come forward.