2 teens in hospital after suspected acid attack outside London school

LONDON – A suspected acid attack outside a London school left two teenagers in hospital on Oct 1, one with potentially life-changing injuries, the police said.

Three people in total were injured when a substance was thrown at students and a staff member on Sept 30.

“Tests of the substance are ongoing. At this stage, officers believe it to be acidic,” the London police said in a statement, which noted a 14-year-old girl’s injuries “may potentially be life-changing”.

“Urgent inquiries are under way to identify and arrest those responsible.”

A 16-year-old boy, whose injuries were not life-changing, was also in hospital after the incident happened outside the Westminster Academy school in west London.

The third victim, a woman aged 27, was discharged from hospital after suffering injuries not said to be life-changing.

Ms Numera Anwar, the school’s principal, said a student, a teacher and a member of the public were injured in the “distressing incident” involving an “acid-like corrosive substance”.

It occurred on the road outside the school building as students and staff were leaving, she noted.

“This is a difficult time for our community,” Ms Anwar said.

The school was closed on Oct 1 “to allow for a thorough investigation and to ensure the school can resume normally from tomorrow with all safety measures in place”, she added.

Britain has fought back against attacks involving corrosive substances such as acid after they spiked in the middle of the last decade, and saw incidents decline until a resurgence in 2022.

The attacks returned to the spotlight in 2024 after an attack on a woman and her two young daughters in London.

Teenage violence in the British capital, especially knife crime and also shootings, has also been a persistent problem.

In July, a 15-year-old boy was found fatally shot in a park near the scene of the Sept 30 incident.

In its statement, the police said “a number of crime scenes” were in place.

The force said various emergency services had responded after the police were alerted on the afternoon of Sept 30. Two officers were taken to hospital as a precaution after they reported feeling unwell, it added.

Mr Adam Hug, leader of Westminster City Council, said it was “a truly shocking attack on school pupils and a member of staff”.

“Clearly, this attack will be unsettling for the whole academy and the wider community, and we will be working with police to provide reassurance and whatever support we can,” he added. AFP