London police have released four suspects accused of shooting gel pellets at Jews in the city”s heavily Jewish Stamford Hill section.
According to Campaign Against Antisemitism (CAA), the suspects were quickly released without being arrested and given back their airgun shortly after being identified to police by members of the community.
The victims of the attacks believed that they were being shot at with a real gun. The incidents were reported by Stamford Hill Shomrim
“Believed same Grey VW targeted Jews w/ Orbeez gun [gel pellet airgun] last week Friday [around] midnight,” Shomrim tweeted on Tuesday.
“Victims thought real gun. Shocking event repeats. Suspects remain free, weapons not seized. Outrage & fear.”
The community safety group said that four suspects allegedly fired the gun while driving through the area in a Volkswagen.
According to Campaign Against Antisemitism, the police talked to the suspects for a short period of time and then released them with their airgun. One of the victims said that the suspects were driving through Stamford Hill firing only at Jews at midnight on March 18. Driving past a woman and her husband, who are visibly Jews, they rolled down the windows and fired three times at them while laughing. The couple believed the driver was attempting to run them over so they ran for safety.
A second resident of the neighborhood told CAA that on the night of March 19, the car was stopped by community members after another shooting incident and blocked from leaving the area. Police arrived 15 minutes later but after collecting contact information from the suspects let them leave with their airgun.
There have been at least five shooting incidents so far.
“This is but the latest in a spate of incidents against the Jewish community in Stamford Hill in which police have either been slow to react, if at all, or refused to take action altogether. We must ask, why is this incident allegedly not being investigated? What more must the Jewish community undergo before action is taken?” A CAA spokesperson said.
