Teenager arrested after London acid attacks

Police on Friday said they had arrested a 16-year-old boy on suspicion of causing grievous bodily harm and robbery after five acid attacks were reported in London within a week.

A Metropolitan Police statement said the teenager was in custody at an east London police station, Xinhua news agency reported.

Corrosive substances were thrown on people's faces in five attacks across north-east London.

Two men on a motorbike carried out the attacks over 90 minutes in Hackney, Stoke Newington and Islington on Thursday night, the statement said.

One of the victims suffered "life-changing injuries" as was described by the police.

The assaults occurred amid increasing concern about the drastic rise in acid attacks in the city.

The media said that since 2010, there have been more than 1,800 reports of attacks involving corrosive fluids in the capital.

Last year, it was used in 458 crimes, compared to 261 in 2015, according to police. - IANS