Selfridges watch raid: photos of the burkas bandits and the man who caught one

THEY didn’t all get that far. The six men dressed in burkas who smashed the watch display units at Selfridges on Oxford Street, London, ran out and into a waiter called Mohamed Hussein. The 29-year-old tells the Standard:

“I feel confident anyone would do this. I am no hero… Some other guys helped me hold him, while we waited for the police. I wasn’t worried. I used to do boxing.”

Matthew Carrozo, 28, saw Hussein:

“All of a sudden this guy who looks like Vin Diesel came out and pinned the guy in the bike helmet to the ground. He struggled but people started pouncing on this guy. They held him down for about 10 minutes until the police arrived. There were about six or seven really expensive watches strewn across the road and dozens in a duffle bag which had come open a bit.”

How we marvel at the speed of the cops.

Anuj Dabeesingh, 22, saw the caper:

“I saw four men completely in burkas, posing as women carrying women’s handbags. At first I thought it was a shot, a spray of glass shattering, breaking – we heard that and people were just running about. I saw a staff member lying on the ground and then we saw four men running, trying to get away. That all happened in under a minute.”

The unlucky one who ran into Mr Hussein wasn’t the only alleged villain nabbed. He was one of two crooks who tried to make off on a moped that crashed just yards from the shop. The other ride broke his leg.

As for the police, well, they are full of prise for Hussein. Det Ch Insp Andy Noyes, from the Flying Squad, said:

“I’d like to thank those members of the public who stepped in and detained our two suspects. Their quick thinking and brave actions have helped our investigation.”