A total of seven youths have been arrested by detectives investigating a racially-aggravated assault on a Polish man in Leeds.
Five males, aged 14 to 16, who were arrested yesterday in connection with the incident in Armley on Friday, September 9, have now been released on police bail pending further enquiries.
A 17-year-old male, who was arrested last night, is currently in custody along with a 13-year-old male who was arrested this morning.
The 28-year-old victim was seriously injured when he was kicked and punched by a group of up to 20 youths in Alliance Street, Armley, at about 9.35pm on Friday, September 9.
Chief Superintendent Paul Money, Leeds District Commander, said: "We have been carrying out extensive enquiries into this incident since it was reported and these arrests illustrate how that investigation is progressing. We have received a significant response from the public and we are grateful to everyone who has contacted us with information."
"Given the understandable concern that this incident has caused among people in Leeds, particularly the local Polish community, and the wider focus there has been on it, we have prioritised the investigation to ensure that we are doing everything we can to bring our enquiries to a successful conclusion."
"At the same time we will be maintaining increased patrols in the area where this incident occurred as part of our ongoing efforts to reassure the community."
"I met with the Polish Consul General Lukasz Lutostanski on Monday to update him on the investigation and the work we are doing to reassure the Polish community in Leeds following this incident. We will be maintaining that dialogue as the investigation continues and we will also be working jointly to develop the Polish community's awareness of our hate incident reporting systems so that we can ensure we have as full a picture as possible and can respond accordingly to any issues raised."
"I want to reiterate that hate crime and hate incidents are completely unacceptable and will not be tolerated in any form. The police work closely in partnership with the council and other agencies to tackle hate crime and we encourage anyone who has been a victim to report those incidents.”