British police are hunting for two armed men who attempted to rob Arsenal stars Mesut Ozil and Sead Kolašinac on Thursday.
A CCTV video, which was shared widely across social media, shows Ozil and Kolašinac being approached by the masked men who had pulled alongside their vehicle on a moped in north London.
Bosnian Kolašinac is seen leaping out of the car to confront both men, before chasing them away.
The English Premier League club said in a statement that Ozil and Kolašinac were both “fine” after the incident.
Kolašinacalso tweeted a picture of the pair Friday, along with the caption: “Think we’re fine.”
London’s Metropolitan Police Service released an incident report detailing an attempted robbery, though it didn’t release the names of the victims. It was widely reported the attackers brandished knives, but the police wouldn’t comment on that detail.
The police statement confirmed both driver and passenger escaped to a nearby restaurant.
Joint restaurant owner Yasmin Tahsiner told Sky News the would-be robbers had extensively damaged the black 4×4 Mercedes-Benz G Wagon by throwing stones and bricks at the windows.
“Two persons on a motorbike came and tried to attack him [Ozil] and they asked him straight away ‘give me your watch,'” Tahsiner told Sky News.
“When they tried to attack him he was trying to go inside the car. They tried to chase him with a motorbike.”
She continued: “We had a phone call from Sead [Kolašinac] and from Miss Ozil ‘please call the police we are being chased.'”
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Both players had recently returned from a four-match preseason tour in the US and are due to take part in the the annual Emirates Cup at the club’s stadium this weekend.
Ozil has made 231 appearances for the Gunners since joining in 2013 and has represented Germany 92 times.
He recently retired from international duty, citing criticism from the media and the German football federation president that struck him as racist.
Ozil married his wife, former Miss Turkey Amine Gulse, in Istanbul, with Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan and his wife on hand as thelegal witnesses last month.
Meanwhile, Kolašinac has played 72 times for Arsenal over the last two seasons. He’s known for his tough defending and tenacious attitude on the pitch.
