Arsenal’s Bosnian fullback Sead Kolasinac has fought off two knife-wielding men after he and teammate Mesut Ozil were attacked in north London in an apparent carjacking attempt. Both football players were unharmed.
German international Ozil was chased in Golders Green when the gang surrounded his black jeep around 5pm local time (16:00 GMT) on Thursday, according to media reports.
In a video of the incident that has been circulated on social media, Kolasinac, who was with Ozil at the time, can be seen jumping out of a vehicle to confront the masked aggressors, who had pulled alongside the car on mopeds.
In the footage, both men were seen to be armed and were filmed brandishing knives at 26-year-old Kolasinac.
Leaving his car, 30-year-old Ozil ran into a Turkish restaurant as Kolasinac attempted to take on one of the assailants.
Waiters and chefs from the Likya restaurant rushed to the aid of the football stars forcing the gang to flee empty-handed, the Daily Mail reported.
“As soon as the restaurant staff started to come to the window and to the doorway, they turned around and roared off,” a witness told the British daily.
An incident took place in London today where Arsenal’s Mesut Ozil was the victim of an attempted car-jacking.
Footage appears to show Sead Kolasinac fighting off attackers.
Arsenal comment: ”We have been in contact with both players and they are fine.
“Ozil looked absolutely terrified, as anybody would after being chased by men with knives,” witness Azuka Alintah told the Daily Mail.
“He looked like he was running for his life. And I suppose he was.”
An Arsenal spokesperson confirmed the players were involved in an attempted carjacking, saying: “We have been in contact with both players and they are fine.”
“Police were called to Platts Lane, NW3, shortly before 5pm on Thursday, 25 July to reports of an attempted robbery,” a police spokesperson said. “There have been no arrests.”
SOURCE: AL JAZEERA AND NEWS AGENCIES