Man charged after three Jewish women attacked in broad daylight on London street — pinned down by Jewish patrol group until police arrived

Published 21 October 2026, 16:31

• Abdisamad Siad, 33, faces three counts of assault by beating over the Clapton Common attacks in Hackney
• Volunteers from Shomrim, a Jewish neighbourhood watch group, detained the suspect before officers reached the scene
• Siad is also charged with grievous bodily harm over a separate attack on a woman in Islington

A 33-year-old man has been charged with three counts of assault by beating after three Jewish women were attacked in Hackney, east London — with the suspect pinned down by volunteers from Shomrim, a Jewish neighbourhood watch group, until police arrived.

Officers were called to Clapton Common at around 1:40pm on Monday, October 19, after receiving reports that three Jewish women had been assaulted and that a man had subsequently been held by Shomrim.

The timing of the call means the attacks unfolded in broad daylight, in the early afternoon, on a street in one of London's most prominent Jewish neighbourhoods.

All three victims suffered minor injuries in the assaults.

The man charged is Abdisamad Siad, born September 20, 1993, who lives on Pilgrims Way in Islington, north London.

Siad was due to appear before Highbury Corner Magistrates' Court on Wednesday, October 21 — just two days after the Clapton Common attacks.

He faces an additional charge of grievous bodily harm with intent in connection with a separate, unrelated attack on a woman in the Islington area on Friday, October 16, three days before the Hackney assaults.

The victim of the Islington attack is believed to be known to Siad — setting that incident apart from the apparently random daylight assaults on the three women in Clapton Common.

In the wake of the attacks, police patrols have been stepped up in the local area.

The Metropolitan Police is also engaging with Jewish community leaders to provide further reassurance to residents following the incidents.

Shomrim, whose members held the suspect at the scene until officers could reach Clapton Common, is a volunteer neighbourhood watch group that patrols areas with large Jewish communities, including that part of Hackney.

The group's intervention meant the man was already detained when police arrived at the scene on Monday afternoon.

The charges — three counts of assault by beating over the Hackney attacks and grievous bodily harm with intent over the Islington incident — will now go before magistrates at Highbury Corner.

Investigators are appealing for witnesses to the Clapton Common assaults.

Anyone with information about the incidents that could assist the investigation is asked to call police on 101, quoting reference 3400/19OCT.

Alternatively, people can contact the independent charity Crimestoppers anonymously on 0800 555 111.