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UAE family tell of gun attack by gang in London home

Devastated family discovered relative had been murdered through social media

A man has relived the moment he and his wife were attacked at gunpoint by a gang of masked men in their London property.

Ali Al Tamimi said he was going through some papers with a friend in the early hours of Tuesday when the gang burst into their home near Paddington Station in London.

“A friend came by to give me some papers and mobile cards instead of us going late at night to get them,” Al Tamimi told Dubai TV last night. “We heard a loud sound like an explosion. When I rushed to check I saw the main door of the flat wide open and a man holding a knife coming toward us.

“I rushed to close a door between us but four or five other men ran in carrying knives, hammers and guns. One of the guns was a 9mm.”

Al Tamimi said one of the men went to the bedroom where his wife was and he fought the attackers.

“I managed to unmask one of them. His accomplice started yelling at him to shoot me because I saw his face,” he said. “I have seen this in movies – I never thought something like this would happen to us.”

Earlier on Wednesday, prominent Ajman radio host Abdullah Rashid Al Nuaimi, revealed his sister had been the victim of the attack. Al Nuaimy told listeners: “She said that she was praying in her room when she heard a noise. She went out to see the main door broken and a group of masked men inside the house. She said they put a pistol to her head and a knife to her throat as they demanded money.”

London’s Westminster police have appealed for information on the attack at Westbourne Gardens. In a statement to 7DAYS, police said that a group of seven men forced their way into the premises, two armed with handguns and one with a knife. One was armed with a black handgun, the other silver. The statement said: “The knife is described as a large butcher’s style knife.

“Three men stood outside the property while the robbery took place. The four males who entered the property were described as black and wearing masks. They threatened the occupants before making off with a quantity of property including phones, cash, passports and identity documents. Two mobile phones, about Dhs4,000 and £2,400 in cash, two passports, handbags and bank cards were taken.

“A 51-year-old man and a 47-year-old woman – a married couple – and a man aged 59 were in the premises at the time. We are being assisted by our police counterparts in the UAE.”

Police also tried to reassure visitors of their safety while in London. Assistant Comm­issioner Mark Rowley said: “I would like to reassure visitors to the capital that they will be safe here. It is worth noting that following the assault involving UAE nationals at the Cumberland Hotel on Sunday, April 6, four people have been charged in connection with this. They are currently going through the judicial process.

“We acknowledge the tragic coincidence of two serious violent attacks against residents of UAE in London and the concern that it is bound to cause, but there is no reason to suggest these incidents are linked. We believe the victims in this latest case were not targeted because of nationality.”

Al Nuaimi said his sister and husband were only in London for five days so he could receive hospital treatment.

ali.shouk@7days.ae

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