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Mesut Ozil and Arsenal teammate attacked by knife-wielding moped gang in London
German-Turkish footballer Mesut Ozil and fellow Arsenal player Sead Kolasinac were attacked by an armed moped gang in London.
Footage circulating on social media shows Kolasinac warding off the robbers on Thursday evening.
The Bosnian defender can be seen jumping out of a vehicle to fight off two men armed with knives. The attackers had pulled up alongside the car on mopeds.
The footballers were pursued for more than a mile by the assailants.
Ozil, his wife and Kolasinac then fled inside a Turkish restaurant on Golders Green where they are regulars. Ozil was seen speaking to police outside the restaurant after the incident.
"Ozil looked absolutely terrified, as anybody would after being chased by men with knives. He looked like he was running for his life," a witness told the Daily Mail.
Ozil was driving his black Mercedes G-Class when they were attacked.
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His distinctive car with its gold trim was seen left in the middle of Golders Green Road with the driver's door left open.
"We have been in contact with both players and they are fine," Arsenal football club said in a statement.
A spokesman for the Metropolitan Police said: "It was reported that suspects on motorbikes had attempted to rob a man who was driving a car. The driver, along with his passenger, managed to get away unharmed and travelled to a restaurant in Golders Green, where they were spoken to by officers."
There have been no arrests so far.
Ozil and Kolasinac have been friends since their teenage years, when they played together in Germany.
Agencies contributed to this report.
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