Fear in London as acid attacks soar

This file photo taken on July 18, 2017 shows motorcycle delivery drivers and motorcyclists taking part in a demonstration in Parliament Square in central London on July 18, 2017, following a spate of acid attacks on July 13. The British capital saw 454 acid attacks reported last year, up from 261 in 2015 and 166 the year before. / AFP PHOTO / NIKLAS HALLE'N

LONDON: Delivery rider Jabed Hussain was waiting at a traffic light one night in east London when two attackers sprayed acid in his face and stole his moped.

It was one of hundreds of attacks in the British capital every year that have prompted government intervention and left the city’s police force asking the public for help to tackle the crime wave.