A man has been arrested over a suspected acid attack outside a west London school that left two teenagers and a staff member in hospital.
The young victims were outside Westminster Academy, near Paddington, on Monday afternoon when they were approached by “a lone suspect who threw a substance at them”, police earlier said.
The teens - a 14-year-old girl and 16-year-old boy - were rushed to hospital along with a member of staff who was injured as she tried to help them.
Scotland Yard spent several days hunting for the suspect and revealed an arrest had been made on Thursday morning.
They said a 35-year-old man had been arrested on suspicion of causing grievous bodily harm.
He was being questioned at a central London police station.
Detective Superintendent Scott Ware, investigating the incident, said: ”The investigation team has been working tirelessly to piece together the events in which two young victims, aged 16 and 14, were approached outside the school by a lone man who threw a substance at them before fleeing.
“We launched an urgent manhunt to identify and arrest the man responsible for this horrific attack. I am pleased to confirm a man was arrested in the early hours of this morning in connection with the incident.
“The 14-year-old girl sustained serious injuries and has returned to hospital having been briefly discharged by doctors. It may still be some time before we know the true extent of how serious her injuries are, but at this time they are being treated as potentially life-changing.”
He added: “The 16-year-old boy has now been discharged by the hospital and fortunately, his injuries are not as severe as the girl’s.
“A member of staff from the school also sustained injuries as she rushed to the youngsters to provide first aid to them.”
Police said on Tuesday tests of the substance were ongoing, but officers “believe it to be acidic”.
The arrest came as the father of the 14-year-old victim, who was a pupil at Westminster Academy, told The Standard his daughter had been left “traumatised” by the attack.
She is said to have sustained burns to the left side of her face, and was due to undergo surgery on Thursday.
“This situation has also deeply affected my daughter mentally,” said Corey McFarlane, 37. “She’s very traumatised by the attack.
“She's very scared about her injuries. She's a young girl, and these scars could be for life. She's very worried about that.”
The 27-year-old member of school staff who was injured as she “bravely” rushed to the children’s aid was later discharged from hospital.
Mr Ware said a “visible policing presence” would be maintained outside the school and officers would continue to work closely with the school and local authority.
He added: “I continue to urge anyone who has information about this incident and has not yet contacted police to call the investigations team on 020 7175 4652.
“If you were in the vicinity of Alfred Road around the time of the attack and have dashcam footage that could prove key to our investigation, we ask that you urgently get in touch with us.”
