A 33-year-old man has been charged with assaulting three Orthodox Jewish women in London's Stamford Hill neighborhood, including a mother who was pushing her baby daughter in a stroller when she was allegedly attacked.
Abdisamad Siad, who has no permanent address, appeared before Highbury Corner Magistrates' Court, where he denied three charges of assault by beating. He was ordered to remain in custody.
According to the account presented in court, the first victim was struck across the face at approximately 1:30 p.m. on Monday on Clapton Common in Hackney. Six minutes later, another Jewish woman, accompanied by her infant daughter in a stroller, was allegedly punched twice in the face.
A third woman was reportedly hit between three and four times before the attacker fled the scene. All three complainants belong to the local Orthodox Jewish community.
As previously reported, the Jewish neighborhood security organization Shomrim responded to the initial attack and witnessed another assault shortly afterward. The organization subsequently released security camera footage appearing to show a man approaching a woman and striking her twice.
Shomrim previously stated that the victims believed they had been deliberately targeted because of their Jewish identity.
In addition to the three assault charges, Siad faces a separate charge of grievous bodily harm with intent in connection with an unrelated incident involving another woman.
The court scheduled a provisional trial for December 11 at Stratford Magistrates' Court.
Following Monday's attacks, the Metropolitan Police deployed additional patrols in the area and began coordinating with Jewish community representatives to address residents' security concerns.