British police are currently looking for two armed men who attacked Arsenal players Mesut Özil and Sead Kolašinac on Thursday.
CCTV footage of the incident, which was shared on social media, shows the moment the players were approached by the armed men. Kolašinac got out of the car to confront the men and ultimately scared them away. But, that wasn't the end of it. The armed men followed the players, who were riding in Özil's Mercedes G-Class, in a high-speed chase that lasted for more than a mile.
"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.
Both players reported they were "fine" following the incident. Özil shared a photo of the two players assuring fans that they (and his wife) and OK. He also thanked fans for the support.
Özil's wife - Amine Gulse - was accompanying the two at the time of the incident.
"We have been in contact with both players and they are fine," Arsenal football club said in a statement.
A spokesman for London's Metropolitan Police said both players managed to get away unharmed. They successfully escaped and ended up in a restaurant in Golders Green where they spoke to police officers about what had happened. The joint restaurant owner Yasmin Tahsiner told Sky News that the attackers damaged Özil's vehicle with stones and bricks.
No arrests have been made at the time of writing.
Both players were left out of Arsenal's game against Lyon on Sunday. The head coach of the club Unai Emery said the players were "not ready" to play following the carjacking attempt.
"This morning they came here but weren’t ready to play the match," said Emery.
"It's not a good moment to play because their mind is not now 100%. It’s a very personal circumstance and the most important thing now is that they can feel good, they can feel safe, they can feel calm with their family," he added.
A spokesman for the Metropolitan Police said that the "suspects on motorbikes had attempted to rob a man who was driving a car." The investigation is still underway.