Malaysian victim made famous by UK riots wants to stay

A man has been arrested over an attack on a Malaysian student who was mugged by apparent Good Samaritans after rioters attacked him in east London.

Police said the suspect, believed to be in his 20s, was being held on suspicion of robbery in connection with the incident in Barking on Monday night.

The attack on Asyraf Haziq, 20, made headlines after it appeared on YouTube.

Mr Haziq had been on his bicycle on his way to a friend's house when he was targeted by rioters.

A short while later, footage showed Mr Haziq sitting on the floor bleeding when he was approached by a group of youths.


They were seen seeming to help him before rifling through his rucksack, stealing his wallet and mobile phone.

The student, from Kuala Lumpur, has been allowed home from hospital after undergoing surgery on his jaw, which was broken in the attack.

Speaking at a press conference after the operation, Mr Haziq said he had no ill-feeling about what had happened and wanted to stay in Britain to complete his studies.


'Britain is great'

He said: "My family are worried about me and my mother would like me to go home. But I am determined to stay.

"Britain is great. Before I came here I was very eager and I haven't got any ill-feeling about what happened.

"I feel very sorry for the people who did this. It was really sad because among them were children."

He also thanked those who had set up a website to raise money for him.

A message on the "Let's Do Something Nice For Asyraf Haziq" site said just less than £4,000 had been donated by Wednesday night.

On Wednesday, footage of the student recalling his ordeal from his hospital bed was posted online by a friend.

In it, he said his attackers "threatened to stab me, they told me they had knives".

He added: "Some of them were quite young, maybe still in primary school. They had their hoods on and demanded my bicycle."

Mr Haziq said two girls and a woman who lived nearby had helped him following the incident.

Prime Minister David Cameron said the attack had left him "disgusted".

- The Star