Muslim man, 29, ‘travelled 180 miles from Yorkshire to attack three Orthodox Jews on their way to a north London synagogue in race-hate spree’

From the Daily Mail and The Jewish Press

A Muslim man deliberately travelled 180 miles from Yorkshire to north London to attack two Jewish men and a boy on their way to a synagogue, a court heard today.

, 29, from Dewsbury, West Yorkshire, is accused of attacking the victims as they walked in traditional religious clothing through Stamford Hill  – an area of the capital with a high Jewish population.

Qureshi, who represented himself at Thames Magistrates Court, admitted to attacking the two adult victims but denied any religious motivations after being accused of travelling to the area to ‘deliberately’ target ‘members of the Jewish community’.

The prosecution initially accepted his version, but later admitted their mistake, after London Mayor Sadiq Khan condemned the “appalling” attacks. The revised charge accuses Qureshi of deliberately choosing to attack Jews.

Qureshi hails from Dewsbury, West Yorkshire, and had to travel 180 miles from his home to north London. One of his victims reported speaking on the phone when Qureshi hit him over the head with a bottle. Qureshi then slapped a Jewish boy, 16, who was on his way to School, and then punched a man named Jacob Lipschitz into a wall and beat him up. Lipschitz, who was on his way to Synagogue, was dressed in a Haredi attire, like Qureshi’s earlier two victims.

In court, Qureshi expressed doubt regarding the severity of his victims’ injuries. He also denied slapping the boy.

Qureshi, who represented himself in court and spoke in a broad Yorkshire accent, was often argumentative with court staff when asked questions.

He will next appear at Stratford Magistrates Court for a full trial in November.

Back in September 2021 he was in custody and expected to be tried at Crown Court Snaresbrook the following month; I wondered how it actually ended, although it is usually the sexual crimes that are  under strict reporting blackout.