Five teenagers who allegedly tried to force a Jewish man into a car boot have been arrested over the attempted kidnap in north London.
Hackney Police confirmed that three 17-year-olds, a 15-year-old and an 18-year-old were arrested in connection with the incident in Stamford Hill on Friday, and they have since been released on bail.
Police launched a probe into the alleged anti-Semitic hate crime after footage posted online showed the man appearing to be targeted by the group.
The men are seen parking and getting out their car before they seem to demand he get into the boot.
The Jewish man backs away from the men in the street while on the phone before one appears to jump towards him in a threatening manner.
Only when the Jewish man threatens to call the police do the men get back in their car and start driving away.
The incident comes amid mounting concerns about anti-Semitic abuse in Britain, fuelled by the ongoing Israel-Hamas conflict following the militant group's terror attacks last October 7.
A young Jewish man was threatened by a group who stopped their car to approach him
Neighbourhood watch group Shomrim appealed for information about the 'attempted kidnap'
Hackney Police confirmed that three 17-year-olds, a 15-year-old and an 18-year-old were arrested in connection with the incident in Stamford Hill on Friday
The clip was shared on X,accompanied by the words: 'Jewish male threatened by 4 males who demanded he gets into the boot of their car.'
Shomrim said they and theMetropolitan Policewere appealing for any information on and sightings of the car involved, a black VW T Cross with the licence plate number EA24 VXF.
Shromrim's online post told the 'incident ended when the victim said he was calling police and other vehicles approached'.
They appealed for anyone who can help to contact Hackney Police, using the crimereference CAD 3224 28/04/24.
The incident happened in Moundfield Road in Stamford Hill, near Tottenham in north London, an area with a significant Orthodox Jewish community.
Shomrim, a local community watch group, warned Stamford Hill was being targeted due to being a 'Jewish neighbourhood'. Many residents dress in traditional black hats and coats, making them easily identifiable.
The neighbourhood in North London is home to the biggest population of Hasidic Jews in Europe and has long been plagued by anti-Semitic assaults, but these appear to have increased in intensity since the October 7 terror attacks on Israel.
Today, Stamford Hill is home to an estimated 25,000 ultra-orthodox Jews, according to local officials.
Many follow a highly observant and communal religious life, dressing in traditional clothes and shunning potentially corrupting influences like the TV or Internet - although exceptions can be granted for business reasons.
The community in Stamford Hill has regularly suffered harassment and intimidation.
READ MORE -The North London neighbourhood plagued by anti-Semitic attacks: How Hackney's Stamford Hill, home to the largest population of Hasidic Jews in Europe, has become a target for hate crime amid Israel-Hamas war
<!- - ad: https://mads.dailymail.co.uk/v8/us/news/none/article/other/mpu_factbox.html?id=mpu_factbox_1 - ->
Advertisem*nt
A spokesman for the Metropolitan Police said: 'An investigation is underway after a reported kidnapping attempt of a male in Stamford Hill.
'At around 17:24hrs on Friday, 26 April, the victim – a Jewish male – was walking on Moundfield Road, N16 when a car pulled up beside him and two males got out of the vehicle.
'The victim was approached by one of the males and allegedly told the victim to get into the boot of the car, shortly before driving off.
'The incident was reported to the police and an investigation was launched by officers based in Hackney.
'We are aware of a video being shared online and this will form part of our enquiries. We are in contact with the Shomrim and our enquiries are ongoing. No arrest have been made at this time.
'Anyone with information should call 101, giving the reference CAD 5836/26APR. Information can also be provided anonymously to Crimestoppers on 0800 555 111.'
Horrified viewers responded online, with one saying: 'That is absolutely terrifying.'
Another wrote: 'He's just a boy. How dare they treat people like that.'
Shomrim was also told: 'That's surely a crime but it looks more like idiots behaving like such more than a genuine attempted kidnap.'
Footage of the alleged kidnap attempt was shared by Shomrim on X, formerly Twitter
The outrage comes after Gideon Falter, who leads the Campaign Against Antisemitism (CAA), was threatened with arrest for appearing 'openly Jewish' at a pro-Palestine march last week
READ MORE: Met police arrest Gaza protesters for racism and hate banner comparing Israel to the Nazis - as 'up to 100,000 people' take to the streets of London in latest pro-Palestine rally
<!- - ad: https://mads.dailymail.co.uk/v8/us/news/none/article/other/mpu_factbox.html?id=mpu_factbox_2 - ->
Advertisem*nt
The Mail On Sunday reported previously how a Holocaust memorial was covered up in London's Hyde Park for fear it could be targeted by vandals in a pro-Palestine demo.
Officials in Hyde Park earlier hid Britain's first public memorial to the 6million victims of the Nazi genocide under a blue tarpaulin in a move one Holocaust survivor called 'shameful'.
The monument was then guarded by Metropolitan Police officers to stop it being targeted by pro-Palestine protesters who marched through London in protest against the war in Gaza.
Holocaust survivor Noemi Ebenstein, 82, urged the world to wake up to the scourge of anti-Semitism following another day of swastikas being waved through London.
On seeing the covered shrine, she said: 'It is shameful. Seeing this, it feels like they are winning.
'Those who are Jew haters, those who are Holocaust deniers, they are winning because we are afraid of them.
'I just wish the Western world would stand up to these people, instead of running away, covering up monuments and being apologetic.'
Tory peer Lord Pickles, the UK's special envoy on post-Holocaust issues, said the sight of the memorial wrapped in plastic sheeting 'sends a terrible message to Jews in London and across the UK'.
Lord Pickles, who has been spearheading moves to get a national Holocaust memorial built next to the Houses of Parliament, said: 'The sight of this precious memorial to the Holocaust being wrapped in plastic sheeting is truly shocking.
'Have we become so cowed and fearful in this country that instead of expecting pro-Palestinian protesters to obey the law, we hide away the memorial to save it from vandalism?'
Scotland Yard was facing yet more anger from Jewish groups on Saturday after a Holocaust memorial was covered up over fears it would be vandalised by pro-Palestine activists
The memorial consists of two boulders lying within a gravel bed, surrounded by a copse of silver birch trees. It is inscribed in both English and Hebrew with the words 'For these I weep. Streams of tears flow from my eyes because of the destruction of my people,'
'Shameful': Holocaust survivor Noemi Ebenstein, 82, called for tougher action on anti-Semitism after the monument in Hyde Park was covered up as a 'precautionary measure'
READ MORE:After officer warns campaigner for being 'openly Jewish'... Met Police are so cowed by the anti-semitic mob, they even cover up the Holocaust
<!- - ad: https://mads.dailymail.co.uk/v8/us/news/none/article/other/mpu_factbox.html?id=mpu_factbox_3 - ->
Advertisem*nt
The outrage comes after Gideon Falter, who leads the Campaign Against Antisemitism, was threatened with arrest for appearing 'openly Jewish' at a pro-Palestine march last week.
He had planned to lead a counter protest with the CAA but called it off citing fears for the safety of Jewish participants.
Instead, just a few dozen counter-protesters gathered at Pall Mall where they were protected by rows of police as up to 200,000 pro-Palestinians marched past.
Officers arrested two men, one for holding a placard with a swastika on it and another for an alleged racist remark towards counter-protesters.
Police were also investigating other offensive signs, including one comparing Israelis to the Ku Klux Klan, and another stating that the media and Government are 'controlled by Zionists'.
Nine in ten British Jews say that they would avoid travelling to a city centre if a major anti-Israel demonstration was taking place, according to polling by the CAA.
Royal Parks said they liaised with the Met over protests and said: 'The Hyde Park Holocaust memorial is routinely covered with tarpaulin during various events as a precautionary measure.'
The Met's Assistant Commissioner Matt Twist said before the march: 'Our objectives this weekend are to protect the right to protest and to keep the peace.'
There have beenregular marches in the capital condemning Israel's attacks on Gazain its response for the October 7 massacre by Hamas militants which killed 1,200 civilians with a further 235 taken hostage from southern Israel.
