Shoreditch residents 'terrified' after crossbow attacks

There is an increased police presence after the two attacks.

Residents have said they have been left "terrified" and "spooked" after two people were shot with crossbow bolts.

The Met Police said the attacks in Shoreditch, east London, on 4 and 14 March were separate but "linked".

A handwritten poster appealing for information has been put up near where a 44-year-old woman was hit.

There was an increased police presence in the area and anyone with information was urged to contact officers.

The woman was hit in the head as she crossed Club Row at 19:44 GMT on 4 March.

The handwritten appeal said the woman was coming home from work in Arnold Circus when she was hit with what she thought was a stone.

"She felt a crossbow lodge in her head. Luckily she lived. But it could have been you or your kids," the poster went on.

"Please help to get this person to face justice."

The handwritten poster was taped up near where the 44-year-old woman was hit

In the second attack, at 19:27 GMT on Thursday, a 20-year-old man was struck in the neck on Arnold Circus, about 200ft (60m) away from the scene of the first attack.

The Met Police said both victims were treated for their injuries in hospital.

Susanna Kow said parents in the area have been left "really, really spooked"

Susanna Kow, who chairs the Boundary Tenants and Residents Association, said: "We really wish the police put more emphasis when the first incident happened.

"And now with the second incident, all the parents here are really, really spooked.

"Imagine, both incidents happen between 19:45 and 20:00, it's not even late at night.

"I don't know how we're going to live our lives, this is the crossroads that joins all the blocks together."

Jake Lowry said the closeness of the area to a primary school made the attacks even more concerning

Jake Lowry, a local resident, said he believed the woman may have been with her children which was "doubly terrifying".

"We have a primary school just on Arnold Circus, a huge community of young families on the estate. It really needs to be dealt with very quickly," he said.

In a statement on Friday, the force said investigators were urgently working to identify a suspect and "due to the nature and location of both incidents, they have been linked".

Officers were also working with Tower Hamlets Council to "use as many resources as possible to help the investigation", the Met said.

Listen to the best of BBC Radio London on Sounds and follow BBC London on Facebook, X and Instagram. Send your story ideas to [e-mail]