A 19-year-old man has been arrested in connection with a homophobic attack outside a nightclub in south London in which two men were stabbed, police have said.
Two men were taken to hospital after the incident in Clapham on 13 August. They have since been discharged.
The two men, one aged in their 20s and the other in their 30s, were outside the Two Brewers on Clapham High Street when they were stabbed in an unprovoked attack that is being treated as a hate crime.
Police said the suspect was arrested in South Norwood, south-east London, on Thursday on suspicion of two counts of grievous bodily harm and remains in police custody.
Metropolitan police Det Supt Vanessa Britton said: “The two victims have been informed and continue to be supported by our officers, including our dedicated LGBT+ community liaison officer.
“I know the concern and distress this horrific incident has caused among the LGBT+ community and I want to reassure them – and Londoners as a whole – that a team of officers is working diligently to investigate.”
PC Hayley Jones, an LGBT+ community liaison officer for the Met in Lambeth and Southwark, said: “We understand some people from the LGBT+ community may not have the confidence to speak to police.
“My role was introduced to provide a dedicated LGBT+ point of contact to support the community and advise on investigations where homophobia and transphobia is a motive.
“You can contact me directly for advice and support, or to assist this investigation.”
Anyone with information is asked to contact police on 101 or tweet @MetCC and quote CAD 7198/13Aug. People can also contact Crimestoppers anonymously.
