Probe into stink bomb vendetta against restaurant near Harrods

Ben Morgan2 March 2020
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A restaurant opposite Harrods is being targeted in a “stink bomb” vendetta - forcing police to cordon off the street three times.

Neighbouring businesses say they have lost thousands of pounds in takings.

The most recent attack on Freej Swalieh happened on Tuesday last week - when a foul-smelling substance was sprayed outside the Middle Eastern restaurant’s entrance.

The stench caused the closure of a 250-metre stretch of the road from near Knightsbridge station to Hans Road for nearly two hours.

CCTV of a stink bomb attack that led to Knightsbridge being placed on lockdown

CCTV revealed a hooded man dressed in black approaching the restaurant and spraying a substance from a small plastic bottle.

Traffic was gridlocked around Knightsbridge and shops within the cordon were forced to close while tests were carried out on the substance, which turned out to be harmless.

The manager of the restaurant today revealed it was the third time it had been targeted.

A restaurant opposite Harrods is the victim of "stink bomb" vendetta
Miky/@Miky34116759

He said: “The smell is really nasty, you can almost feel it when you come in.

"It’s a cheesy smell that stays around for months and months, we had professionals come in to get rid of it.

“We are worried there is a vendetta against us.”

The first attack happened on October 30, weeks after the restaurant opened, when two customers were caught depositing a substance inside the lavatories.

Video of stink bomb attack during the morning of February 25

One person was taken to hospital while other businesses were closed and 30 people evacuated from nearby apartments.

Then on February 19, security cameras captured a man injecting a substance through joins in the restaurant’s glass facade.

This week the manager had asked two staff members to sleep at the restaurant to stand guard.

Met Police has released pictures of two men they want to speak to
Met Police

Samuel Di Francesco, general manager of nearby Caffe Concerto, said: “The first time it happened was the worst.

"The second time someone had sprayed the substance through their window and we could not open our business for three hours.

“The same thing happened this week and we didn’t open until 10am. The smell is still there... it smells like gone-off eggs.”

Met Police has released pictures of two men they want to speak to
Met Police

A Harrods spokeswoman said it was told to temporarily close its main doors during the first incident in October last year but was unaffected during this month’s attacks.

It has been suggested the substance was 3-Methylbutanoic acid, which is not harmful.

Police today released CCTV stills of two men they wish to speak to about the incident on October 30.

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