Pictured: Stratford shopping centre doors covered in acid after gang spray crowds with noxious substance injuring six in frightening mass attack
Six people were injured tonight in a massive acid attack after a gang of men sprayed a noxious substance
Police and paramedics rushed to the Stratford Shopping Centre in east London at 8pm to reports of attack
Witnesses described panic in the moments after the assault as injured people hurried to wash their faces
Paramedics treated six people for injuries as one man repeatedly screamed 'I can't see' in Stratford station
By Charlie Moore and Scott Campbell and Katie French In Stratford For Mailonline
Pictures from the scene of a terrifying acid attack which rocked east London last night show a white substance thought to be the acid dripping from the doors of Stratford shopping centre.
Six people were injured when a gang of men sprayed a noxious liquid into crowds outside the centre and at a next-door tube station causing widespread panic.
Dramatic video and images shared on social media show police treating victims behind a cordon at Stratford station where a white substance can be seen on the floor.
Witnesses described the panic in the moments after the mass attack as injured people hurried to wash their faces and limbs with water.
One man who was splashed in the face with acid could be heard screaming: 'I can't see, I can't see'.
Police have ruled out terrorism and arrested one man on suspicion of GBH. Witnesses claimed the substance was thrown by 'young black teenage males' after an argument broke out.
+23
Sprayed: A white substance thought to be the acid could be seen on the doors of the Stratford Centre after the attack
+23
Six people were injured when a gang of men sprayed a noxious liquid into crowds outside the shopping centre and at a next door tube station causing widespread panic
+23
A police cordon in Stratford tube station with what appears to be acid on the floor after victims were treated at the scene
+23
+23
Dramatic pictures from the scene shared on social media appeared to show police attending to victims at Stratford station
+23
Officers have arrested a man after a gang sprayed acid into a crowd near Stratford Shopping Centre. Pictured: Police cars at the scene
+23
Emergency services at Stratford Centre in east London after the attack at 8pm tonight. Cordons were set up around the areas where the acid was sprayed
+23
Fire crews gathered outside the Stratford centre next to an area which had been cordoned off after the shocking attack
+23
A policeman stands guard outside the Stratford centre after the acid attack at 8pm on Saturday which injured six
+23
A map showing where the attack happened at the Stratford Centre and Stratford tube station. There were no reports of injuries at the nearby Westfield shopping centre
A Burger King assistant manager who gave his name as Hossen, 28, said he saw a victim and his friend run into the restaurant bathroom 'to wash acid off his face'.
One guy had been hit in the face, he kept shouting I can't see, I can't see, I can't see
He said: 'There were cuts around his eyes and he was trying to chuck water into them.'
Inside the Burger King toilets water could be seen all over the floor along with toilet tissue and medical gloves.
Witness Zak Abdi, who had been shopping with friends, told Mirror Online: 'I was about to leave the station and a few guys were scattering, and there were guys on the floor in agony, with their friends all around them.'
ACID ATTACKS ARE ON THE RISE WITH TWO EVERY DAY
The number of acid attacks taking place in Britain is soaring, with school children as young as 13 using corrosive substances as weapons.
Crime statistics show that there was more than 450 acid attacks in London alone last year, with the number of attacks in the capital more than doubling since 2014.
But experts say the real figure is much higher, with the true scale of the problem hidden because people are afraid to come forward.
It is believed criminal gang members are carrying acid in drinks bottles because they are less likely to get caught than if they carry a knife or gun.
Schoolchildren as young as 13 have also told how 'squirting' rivals with acid is easier than trying to stab or fight them.
He said he saw a group of men running away from the police after the acid 'hit a group of men who looked like they were en route to a club'.
He heard one man shouting 'I can't see, I can't see, I can't see' after being splashed in the face.
Mr Abdi added: 'Everyone was just jumping out of the way, trying to escape the whole thing. It was a scary moment for everyone.'
Imrana begum, 18, was working in Primark in Westfield when the attack happened.
She told MailOnline: 'It is a huge shock, even though more of these attacks are happening.
'I was folding clothes and suddenly everyone was like be careful, be careful there's been a huge acid attack. Apparently people could hear screaming.'
Paul Gibson, assistant director of operations at London Ambulance Service, said: 'We have sent a number of resources to the scene including paramedics in cars, ambulance crews, an incident response officer and our Hazardous Area Response Team.
'So far, we have treated at least five patients at the scene and taken three patients to hospital. We remain on scene.'
The Metropolitan Police said: 'Police were called just before 8pm to the area around Stratford Shopping Centre to reports of a group of males spraying what is believed to be a noxious substance.
'London Ambulance Service and London Fire Brigade have attended.
'A number of people have been reported injured at different locations - believed to be six people. We await further details.
+23
Securing the perimeter: Police set up a cordon around the areas where the acid was sprayed by the gang on Saturday night
+23
Police said: 'One male has been arrested on suspicion of GBH. Officers remain on scene'. Pictured: Police cars at the scene
+23
Witnesses described the panic in the moments after the mass attack. Pictured: Stratford centre in the wake of the assault
Video playing bottom right...
+23
Paul Gibson, assistant director of operations at London Ambulance Service, said: 'We have sent a number of resources to the scene'
+23
+23
Left: The Stratford shopping centre from above. Right: Police treat victims outside the shopping centre by a bus stop
Footage appears to show substance on doors after acid attack
+23
Fire crews were called to the scene to treat victims as part of the rapid emergency response in the aftermath of the attack
+23
On duty: Police guard the area outside the shopping centre alongside bags of evidence placed on the street
Thugs who carry acid face four years in jail
In the wake of a spate of acid attacks in recent years, anyone caught carrying acid will now be charged with carrying an offensive weapon - the same charge used to convict people unlawfully carrying a knife or a gun.
Thugs carrying acid face four years in jail while those who throw it could get life behind bars.
The Crown Prosecution Service this summer unveiled plans to charge offenders caught with dangerous materials with possession of an offensive weapon, which carries a four-year prison term.
A spokesman said they hoped it would act as a deterrent after the Government and CPS noticed a worrying trend in attacks.
He said: 'From our side there is certainly a trend of these attacks becoming more prevalent and hopefully by publishing this information it is a useful exercise in show how the Crown will be dealing with offenders.'
This means judges and magistrates will be able to deliver tougher sentences when attackers end up in court.
'One male has been arrested on suspicion of GBH. Officers remain on scene. A cordon is in place. Enquiries continue. We can confirm that injuries are not life threatening or life changing.'
There were no reports of injuries from the Westfield shopping centre which is 200 yards from the Stratford shopping centre.
Nate Higgins, who saw the emergency services arriving at the scene, told MailOnline: 'There were a lot of police, a lot of fire engines and a lot of ambulances.
'As I was leaving there were still more and more coming down the road. I was in the shopping centre when it happened and as I was coming out I saw them all arriving.
'There were at least 10 different vehicles and it didn't seem to be a settled thing.'
Another witness Harry Green, 19, got off the tube in the moments after the incident. He told MailOnline he witnessed the 'chaotic aftermath'.
'There were police officers with dogs everywhere, the whole station was at a standstill,' she said.
It was worrying as it was obvious something had just happened. It was just chaos.'
'As we stepped off the tube there were dozens of people giving statements to officers looking distressed as though something had just happened.
'We didn't see anyone injured but there were lots of ambulances on the scene but it seems they were taken away pretty promptly.
'We witnessed the aftermath, the emergency services seemed to have responded very quickly. There was a lot of confusion around, a lot of people didn't know what had happened or why they were stuck in the station.'
By 11pm emergency services had left the scene but the shopping centre remained guarded as customary on a Saturday night.
A security guard told MailOnline the shopping centre doors - visibly stained by what is believed to be dangerous acid - would remain behind a cordon until police and fire service could return to take a sample.
Eyewitness footage in Stratford shortly after acid attack
+23
Another witness Harry Green, 19, got off the tube in the moments after the incident. He told MailOnline he witnessed the 'chaotic aftermath'.
+23
The attack happened outside the Stratford centre, one of the largest shopping centres in London at 8pm on Saturday night
Police cordon off Westfield shopping centre after acid attack
Watch video
White tiger killed by pack after straying into their enclosure
Watch video
Greenpeace activists board a ship carrying diesel Volkswagen cars
Watch video
Alpha Phi sorority says n-word during Kanye singalong
Watch video
A dog and his owner cluck together like chickens
Watch video
Police board an EasyJet flight as they arrest drunk passengers
Watch video
GRAPHIC CONTENT: Cops shoot dead man outside 7-Eleven
Watch video
Police break up fight between two men at Grand Central Station
Watch video
Adorable pit bull goes crazy when owner returns from Canada army
Watch video
Pregnant mother's stomach stretched by moving fetus
Watch video
Baffled dad films UFO as it moves silently over east London sky
+23
+23
Witnesses saw dozens of ambulances and police cars racing to Stratford tube station in the east of the capital
'I splashed water on his face': Homeless man is hailed a hero for helping acid attack victims
By Katie French in Stratford for MailOnline
A homeless man has been described as a hero for his quick-thinking after a mass acid attack in Stratford Centre last night.
Paul Andrews, 57, was walking around the corner when he saw a sudden rush of people exiting the shopping centre in East London.
'A lad was marching out of the centre, he had just had acid thrown in his face. You could see it dripping down his mouth.
+23
MailOnline reporter Katie French interviews a homeless man who helped acid attack victims during the chaos
'They were West Ham fans': Homeless man on helping acid victims
'His mates were worked up, I said come here, took him into Burger King and shouted, "this boy has just been attacked with acid". I said took him to the toilet and said stay here a minute and splashed water on his face. Someone called an ambulance.'
Mr Andrews, from Forrest Gate, described the victim as a black teenager and a West Ham supporter. He said he had a group of friends with him but was the only one injured. He said he was not crying but he could tel he was in a lot of pain.
When police turned up officers initially told Mr Andrews to 'go away' but later he said a policeman apologised when he realised he had helped in a potentially dangerous situation.
This isn't the first time Mr Andrews has witnessed the aftermath of an attack. He was quick to help a woman after ammonia was thrown in her face while she was in Mcdonalds at the Stratford Centre last year.
He said: 'If I see anyone in distress I will try to help. You see a lot living on the streets. I saw a man killed in front of my eyes when he was hit by a car at 70mph.
'I just think you've got to help if you can and that's what I try to do.'
A security guard at the scene has allowed Mr Andrews to stay outside the centre this evening.
Mr Andrews, who has now been homeless for five years, said he ended up living on the streets after his father died.
He was left £7,000 in premium bonds, he said, but ended up in debt and then fell out with his disabled mother who he used to care for.
He told MailOnline he believed the area needed to be policed more. He said: 'I was born in Forrest Gate so have lived here all my life but police need to do more.
'I don't even have a phone, it's not worth it on the streets as it would get nick
Read more: http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-4913492/Acid-attack-Stratford-tube-station.html#ixzz4tZZuSSSo
