Overview
- The assault, reported to police at 2:05 a.m. Monday on The Grove, left a man in his 20s in hospital with injuries to his face and back, according to the Met.
- Officers arrived within six minutes and opened a hate‑crime investigation, with no arrests reported and an appeal for witnesses under reference CAD 542/18MAY.
- Five masked men chased, dragged, and beat the victim after hearing him speak Hebrew on the phone, tearing his clothes and taking a shoe, according to the Campaign Against Antisemitism and witness accounts.
- Local Jewish media identified the 22‑year‑old as Shalev Ben‑Yakar, and the victim told reporters he feared for his life as community groups CST and Shomrim offered support and gathered CCTV.
- The case comes after March arson attacks on Hatzola ambulances and the April 29 Golders Green stabbings that prompted extra patrols and senior oversight, with the local MP pressing the Met for swift action.