Police have arrested a 25-year-old man after an Iranian anti-regime protester was reportedly struck with a bottle and then stabbed.
Metropolitan Police officers swarmed Ballards Lane, in North Finchley, London, at around 7pm last night after the alleged attack.
When officers arrived, they found a man in his 40s who appeared to have been knifed in an attack.
It has been widely speculated that the victim was an Iranian anti-IRGC protester, but police have not yet confirmed his identity.
Just last week, Ballards Lane was brought to a standstill as scores of Iranians celebrated the death of Iran’s Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei.
Finchley has the largest Iranian community in London and is often referred to as ‘Little Tehran’.
Police have arrested a 25-year-old man on suspicion of grievous bodily harm and he remains in custody. He is alleged to have attacked the victim with a bottle but police are hunting for others involved, including the knifeman who carried out the stabbing.
The victim was treated at the scene before being rushed to a nearby hospital by the London Ambulance Service. While his injuries are serious, they are not considered neither life-threatening nor life-changing.
Eyewitnesses say police lights lit up the entire street as the incident caused significant congestion.
They added that bypassing commuters on a bus were shocked, with many standing up to get a view of the chaos.
A spokesperson for the Met said: ‘A 25-year-old man has been arrested on suspicion of grievous bodily harm after a man was attacked on Ballards Lane, West Finchley. He remains in police custody.
‘Police were called at 19:03hrs on Saturday, 7 March following reports a man had been attacked. Officers performed emergency first aid on a man in his 40s who had been stabbed. He was taken to hospital by the London Ambulance Service where his condition has been deemed neither life-threatening nor life-changing.
‘The man who has been arrested is believed to have attacked the man with a bottle. At this stage we do not believe he had stabbed the man. Urgent enquiries are underway to locate the other individuals involved.
‘Officers remain at the scene and people can expect to see an increased police presence in the area. A dispersal order is in place, meaning officers can direct people to leave the area if their presence or behaviour is likely to contribute to harassment, alarm, distress, crime or disorder.
‘We urge people to not speculate while officers work at pace to understand the circumstances around this incident.’
They later clarified: ‘The individual currently in custody is believed to have attacked the victim with a bottle. At this stage of the investigation, we do not believe he was responsible for the stabbing itself. Urgent enquiries are now underway to identify and locate the other individuals involved in this assault.’
Residents have been told they should expect a heightened police presence in the area as forensic teams continue their work.
A spokesman from the London Ambulance Service said: ‘We were called at 6.52pm on Saturday 7 March to reports of a stabbing in Ballards Lane, Finchlely, N3.
‘We sent resources including ambulance crews, a clinical team manager, an advanced paramedic practitioner and an incident response officer.
‘We treated a man at the scene before taking him to a London major trauma centre.’
