Mesut Ozil and Sead Kolasinac: Man pleads guilty to attempted robbery of Arsenal duo
A man who admitted attempting to rob Arsenal stars Mesut Ozil and Sead KolaĊĦinac in London in July has pleaded guilty, PA Media reported Thursday.
Ashley Smith, 30, pleaded guilty of attempting to steal watches from the Arsenal pair in Hampstead, northwest London on July 25.
Smith, of Archway, north London, has been remanded in custody and will be sentenced at Snaresbrook Crown Court on November 1.
A CCTV video, which was shared widely across social media at the time, showed both Ozil and KolaĊĦinac being approached by masked men who had pulled alongside their vehicle on a moped in north London.
Bosnian KolaĊĦinac is seen leaping out of the car to confront the men, before chasing them away. Both players were subsequently left out of Arsenal’s Premier League opener at Newcastle on August 9 because of “further security incidents.”
London’s Metropolitan Police Service released an incident report detailing an attempted robbery, though it didn’t release the names of the victims.
The police statement confirmed both driver and passenger escaped to a nearby Turkish restaurant.
Another man, Jordan Northover, 26, has also been charged and will appear before magistrates Friday, PA Media said.
Arsenal faces Belgian side Standard Liege in the Europa League group stage in London Thursday.
