Man arrested over alleged anti-Semitic bus attack in Stamford Hill

Officers investigating a hate crime attack on a bus in Stamford Hill have arrested a 48-year-old man.

The alleged victim, a 36-year-old man, was reading a prayer book while travelling on the 254 towards Aldgate at midday on December 6 when the suspect boarded in Stamford Hill.

He allegedly made several anti-Semitic comments addressed to the victim before verbally abusing a group of teenage girls.

At this point the first victim intervened and tapped the shoulder of the suspect, who is accused of then punching the man in the arm.

When police were called they could not track down the suspect, but a man now been arrested on suspicion of a racially aggravated public order offence following a CCTV appeal, and remains in custody.

Det Supt Adam Ghaboos, from the Met's central east basic command unit, said: "We have a large Jewish community in Hackney who have the right to live peacefully without being victimised because of their faith.

"My officers will thoroughly investigate all hate crimes that are reported to us and I would strongly urge anyone who has been the victim of hate crime, be it physical or verbal, to report it to police as soon as possible."