On reflection this incident could have been fatal for the Polish minicab/P/H driver. Can you imagine what might have happened if the kidnapped victim had opened his mouth and told the driver he was being kidnapped?
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DAILY MAIL (London)
August 24, 2006 Thursday
HEADLINE: LAW OF THE GUN IN BRITAIN 2006
BYLINE: BY OLINKA KOSTER
THREE men lie face down in the road, their hands tied behind their backs and guns to their heads.
They were suspected kidnappers ñ cornered and arrested as they travelled in a minicab though a quiet street in West London.
Just as the cab reached a junction, it was blocked in by police cars. Armed officers then shot out the vehicle's tyres and smashed the rear window. The occupants, including the astonished cab driver and the suspects' teenage prisoner, were pulled out of the car.
It was a dramatic end to the abduction of the 19-year-old, who is said to have been held captive for several days and tortured by a Somalian gang over a crack cocaine deal.
The men had demanded 'several thousand pounds' for his release.
Yesterday residents of the Acton street told how the police rescue team exploded into action just after 5pm on Tuesday. 'I heard five or six shots while I was in my house and went to the front and saw u n d e r c o v e r police dragging guys out of the van,' said David Babbage, a 32-year-old business development manager who watched from his home.
'They were dragged to the ground and their hands were behind their backs and tied with cable ties. 'They had guns pointing at them while they were on the ground. Police shut the street and held back people walking through the area.
'It was extremely shocking to see something of that magnitude on my street. The taxi driver seemed to be completely in shock.'
The cab driver, a Polish man who was too frightened to be named, said he was handcuffed and held face down on the road while the car was searched before being released. 'I went to pick up a fare and I picked up these men and didn't notice that there was any problem,' he recalled.
'They were talking, but not in English and I couldn't understand what they were saying.
'They wanted to go from one address in Acton to another address in Acton. If someone rings you up and orders you, you don't ask what's going on. All I was interested in was getting paid.
'When the car was shot at, it all happened so quickly. They shot into the tyres and I heard the glass of the rear window break.
'The police took me away from the whole situation quickly. I am a fully grown man but it seemed very dangerous.'
He said he would be unable to continue working as a private hire driver until his car, a Citroen, was released by the police. It is being examined by forensic officers. The driver added: 'I used to live in that area but I have moved away because it is not safe.'
Mustafa Ahmad, a 24-year-old textiles importer who lives near the scene, said: 'I heard a first gunshot then, after that, I heard four more shots.
'They were just pulling the men out of the car and smashing the windows. 'One policeman was leaning on a man's back and had a gun to his neck. They held them there for about 40 or 50 minutes. Then they put them up against a wall.
'They kept them like that for an hour or two before a van arrived to take them away. Mr Ahmad added: 'The police had definitely been prepared for this. They were in cars and they were following them. The whole street was full of cars. It was shocking to see that happening.'
Other residents said armed police had been in the same street only the night before, investigating a robbery. Last night, a spokesman for the Metropolitan Police said a teenager, who was kidnapped in Bristol on Monday morning, had been 'safely rescued' during the operation.
Three men who were in the car, and another two men arrested in Acton, all of whom are from the West London area and aged between 19 and 29, are being held in custody. 'The hostage was taken to hospital as he had been tortured during his imprisonment but his injuries are not believed to be serious,' said the spokesman.
'The operation is being led by the Metropolitan Police's Kidnap Unit.
'At this early stage in the investigation it is believed the kidnap was in relation to crack cocaine drug dealing. 'It is understood the victim used to live in London but had moved to Bristol.
'He was captured in Bristol and his kidnappers brought him back to London whilst demands of several thousand pounds were made for his release.'
o.koster@dailymail.co.uk
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