Three men have been arrested after former boxing world champion Amir Khan was robbed at gunpoint.
The 35-year-old was with his wife Faryal in Leyton, east London, in April when he was approached by two males who threatened him with a gun before stealing his £70,000 watch.
Mr Khan said he was in “disbelief” at the attack which occurred while his wife was only a few steps behind him. He added that he was was saddened and heartbroken by the level of crime in the capital.
Scotland Yard said three men, aged 25, 34 and 20, were arrested on suspicion of robbery after warrants were executed by detectives on Wednesday morning.
The 25-year-old has also been arrested on suspicion of possession of a firearm with intent to cause fear of violence, while the 20-year-old has been arrested for this offence and possession of ammunition. All three remain in custody, the Met confirmed.
Following the incident, Mr Khan criticised London Mayor Sadiq Khan for what he described as a high level of crime in the capital. He said: “London is not a place I want to live in anymore. Our plan to move there is not happening.
“I’m not sure if I even want to return to London for the foreseeable future because of increasing crime, terrible traffic and it’s not safe. This is no place for me and my family,” the 35-year-old added.
“Mayor Khan needs to pull his finger out and tackle the increasing levels of gun and knife crime. He's making the city unliveable. You can't drive anywhere, traffic is horrendous and there's no quality of life,” he added.
“It’s disgusting what is happening in London and what happened to me. Sadiq Khan is doing a terrible job and this huge increase in gun and knife crime is happening under his watch. It's absolutely disgraceful.”
Sadiq Khan said he understood the anger Amir Khan felt towards him after the attack, but said violent crime in the city had been decreasing. “I understand he was petrified, he was scared, it’s really important to understand and have empathy with the victims of crime,” the mayor said.
“As the mayor I speak to victims of crime on a regular basis and it is really distressing when you’ve been robbed and I understand his anger, I understand his fear.”
Officers were called to the incident on High Road at 9.15pm on 18 April.
No shots were fired and nobody was injured.
Detective Sergeant Lee Warrington of the Met’s Specialist Crime Command said: “Tackling robbery is a key priority for the Met and these arrests demonstrate our commitment to taking those intent on using violence, or the threat of violence, off of our streets.”
Additional reporting by PA
