Teenage girls arrested after Jewish woman violently assaulted and robbed

Two teenage girls have been arrested after a young Jewish woman was violently assaulted and robbed in north London.

The 20-year-old was robbed on Rostrevor Avenue in Stamford Hill by two people who ran off towards the A10 on Thursday afternoon, the Metropolitan Police said.

The woman, who is from the orthodox Jewish community, was reportedly left bruised but did not need to go to hospital.

Two girls aged 13 and 14 from Haringey have been arrested on suspicion of robbery and remain in custody, the force said.

The Met said investigators are still treating the attack as a “possible hate crime”.

CCTV images from the scene suggested the suspects were wearing school uniforms at the time, Scotland Yard said.

Footage of the incident was circulated online after it was tweeted by neighbourhood watch group Shomrim.

Detective Sergeant Asli Benson, who has led the investigation, said: “This was a terrifying incident for the young woman who was attacked. We will continue to ensure she has the right support.

“Officers have been pursuing all available lines of enquiry since the incident and these arrests are a very positive development.

“The victim is from the orthodox Jewish community. It would have been obvious from her appearance that she was Jewish and there has been significant concern that she was targeted for that reason.

“In the current climate, when fears and uncertainty in the wider Jewish community are heightened following the terror attacks in Israel and the subsequent rise in antisemitic hate crime here in London, these concerns are entirely understandable.

“While we are keeping an open mind as to the motive behind the incident and will continue to explore all avenues, we are treating this as a possible hate crime.”