Anti-Muslim graffiti has been found daubed on seven London buildings this month, including mosques, community centres and a primary school.
The Metropolitan Police said it is investigating “several incidents of criminal damage” and is treating them as “shocking” hate crimes.
The first incident took place on Monday 6 January, with the most recent recorded on Saturday 25 January. The force is looking into whether they are linked, including examining CCTV footage.
The incidents are reported to have been fuelled by a Telegram hate group, which was offering £100 to people who committed acts of vandalism. The Met said its inquiries are continuing.
The force has stepped up reassurance patrols in the affected areas and is in contact with local faith leaders.
Here are the sites that were targeted and when:
• West Norwood Mosque, SE27, on Monday 6 January
• South Norwood Islamic Community Centre, Croydon, SE25, on Monday 6 January
• Thornton Heath Islamic Centre, CR7, on Thursday 16 January
• Stratford mosque, Newham, E15, on Thursday 23 January
• Leyton Jamia Masjid, E10, on Thursday 23 January
• Albirr Foundation mosque, E10, on Thursday 23 January
• Noor Ul Islam Primary School, E10, on Saturday 25 January
Worshippers at the Stratford mosque and Leyton Jamia Masjid contacted Sky News saying their buildings had been vandalised with anti-Islamic graffiti.
The Met’s Deputy Assistant Commissioner Jon Savell said: “We understand that Muslim communities will be feeling particularly concerned for their safety following this series of shocking hate crimes.
“Hate has no place on our streets, and tackling it is at the centre of our efforts to make Londoners from all backgrounds and communities feel safe.
“Our local officers will continue to work with community leaders and ensure that a thorough investigation is being conducted”.
‘This is not an act of faith – it’s an act of cowardice’
A statement from Stratford Islamic Association to Sky News said: “Our mosque has been part of this community since 1993, and in all that time, we’ve only known kindness and respect from our neighbours.
“We are proud to be an integral part of this community, and today, we’ve been deeply moved by the overwhelming support from people of all backgrounds.”
It added: “The council and the police have stood with us, and we are truly grateful for their swift and compassionate response.
“Those responsible for this act of hate have shamed only themselves. This is not an act of faith – it’s an act of cowardice. But they will not intimidate us. We will not live in fear. Together, as a united community, we will stand strong.”
Police are urging anyone with information about the incidents to contact them on 101.
A 15-year-old boy who was operated on twice by a now unlicensed Great Ormond Street surgeon is living with “continuous” pain.
Finias Sandu has been told by an independent review the procedures he underwent on both his legs were “unacceptable” and “inappropriate” for his age.
The teenager from Essex was born with a condition that causes curved bones in his legs.
Aged seven, a reconstructive procedure was carried out on Finias’s left leg, lengthening the limb by 3.5cm.
A few years later, the same operation was carried out on his right leg which involved wearing an invasive and heavy metal frame for months.
He has now been told by independent experts these procedures should not have taken place and concerns have been raised over a lack of imaging being taken prior to the operations.
Image: Yaser Jabbar rescinded his UK medical licence last year. Pic: LinkedIn
His doctor at London’s prestigious Great Ormond Street Hospital was former consultant orthopaedic surgeon Yaser Jabbar. Sky News has spoken to others he treated.
Mr Jabbar also did not arrange for updated scans or for relevant X-rays to be conducted ahead of the procedures.
The surgeries have been found to have caused Finias “harm” and left him in constant pain.
“The pain is there every day, every day I’m continuously in pain,” he told Sky News.
“It’s not something really sharp, although it does get to a certain point where it hurts quite a lot, but it’s always there. It just doesn’t leave, it’s a companion to me, just always there.”
Mr Jabbar rescinded his UK medical licence in January last year after working at Great Ormond Street between 2017 and 2022.
The care of his 700-plus patients is being assessed, with some facing corrective surgery, among them Finias.
“Trusting somebody is hard to do, knowing what they have done to me physically and emotionally, you know, it’s just too much to comprehend for me,” he said.
“It wasn’t something just physically, like my leg pain and everything else. It was emotionally, because I put my trust in that specific doctor. My parents and I don’t really understand the more scientific terms, we just went by what he said.”
Doctors refused to treat Finias because of his surgeries
Finias and his family relocated to their native Romania soon after the reconstructive frame was removed from his right leg in the summer of 2021.
The pain worsened and they sought advice from doctors in Romania, who refused to treat Finias because of the impact of his surgeries.
Dozens of families seeking legal claims
His mother Cornelia Sandu is “furious” and feels her trust in the hospital has been shattered. They are now among dozens of families seeking legal claims.
Cyrus Plaza from Hudgell Solicitors is representing the family. He said: “In cases where it has been identified that harm was caused, we want to see Great Ormond Street Hospital agreeing to pay interim payments of compensation for the children, so that if they need therapy or treatment now, they can access it.”
Finias is accessing therapy and mental health support as he prepares for corrective surgery later in the year.
A spokesperson for Great Ormond Street Hospital told Sky News: “We are deeply sorry to Finias and his family, and all the patients and families who have been impacted.
“We want every patient and family who comes to our hospital to feel safe and cared for. We will always discuss concerns families may have and, where they submit claims, we will work to ensure the legal process can be resolved as quickly as possible.”
Image: Finias with his mother and sister
Service not ‘safe for patients’
Sky News has attempted to contact Mr Jabbar.
An external review into the wider orthopaedic department at the hospital began in September 2022.
It was commissioned after the Royal College of Surgeons warned the hospital’s lower limb reconstruction service was not “safe for patients or adequate to meet demand”.
The investigation is expected to be completed by the end of the year.
Sir Keir Starmer has said closer ties with the EU will be good for the UK’s jobs, bills and borders ahead of a summit where he could announce a deal with the bloc.
The government is set to host EU leaders in London on Monday as part of its efforts to “reset” relations post-Brexit.
A deal granting the UK access to a major EU defence fund could be on the table, according to reports – but disagreements over a youth mobility scheme and fishing rights could prove to be a stumbling block.
The prime minister has appeared to signal a youth mobility deal could be possible, telling The Times that while freedom of movement is a “red line”, youth mobility does not come under this.
His comment comes after Kaja Kallas, the EU’s high representative for foreign affairs, said on Friday work on a defence deal was progressing but “we’re not there yet”.
Sir Keir met European Commission president Ursula von der Leyen later that day while at a summit in Albania.
Image: Ursula von der Leyen and Sir Keir had a brief meeting earlier this week. Pic: PA
Sir Keir said: “First India, then the United States – in the last two weeks alone that’s jobs saved, faster growth and wages rising.
“More money in the pockets of British working people, achieved through striking deals not striking poses.
“Tomorrow, we take another step forward, with yet more benefits for the United Kingdom as the result of a strengthened partnership with the European Union.”
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Conservative leader Kemi Badenoch has said she is “worried” about what the PM might have negotiated.
Ms Badenoch – who has promised to rip up the deal with the EU if it breaches her red lines on Brexit – said: “Labour should have used this review of our EU trade deal to secure new wins for Britain, such as an EU-wide agreement on Brits using e-gates on the continent.
“Instead, it sounds like we’re giving away our fishing quotas, becoming a rule-taker from Brussels once again and getting free movement by the back door. This isn’t a reset, it’s a surrender.”
Roman Lavrynovych appeared at Westminster Magistrates’ Court on Friday and was remanded in custody.
Officers from the Metropolitan Police’s Counter Terrorism Command led the investigation because of the connections to the prime minister.
Emergency services were called to a fire in the early hours of Monday at a house in Kentish Town, north London, where Sir Keir lived with his family before the election.