"Many Photos" - Arsenal stars in carjack terror: Mesut Ozil is attacked by knife-wielding motorbike thugs in London

Arsenal star Mesut Ozil was the victim of terrifying attempted car-jacking on a London street this afternoon by a knife-wielding scooter gang.

The £300,000-a-week midfield ace was boxed in by the gang as he drove his black Mercedes G-Class 4x4 through Golders Green at 5pm.

But as the thugs surrounded the vehicle, Ozil's Arsenal teammate and childhood friend, Sead 'The Tank' Kolasinac, leapt out and bravely took them on.

Meanwhile, Ozil was able to flee to a nearby restaurant where witnesses said the 30-year-old Gunners star looked 'terrified'. 

Phone footage captured the 6ft Bosnian Kolasinac squaring up to the one of the robbers whose face was obscured by a crash helmet. 

As the front passenger-side door of the vehicle hangs precariously open with Mesut Ozil inside, Sead Kolasinac can be seen facing off one of the attackers who appears to be wielding a blade

The fearless 6ft fullback can be seen bravely lunging at the assailant bare-fisted as Mesut Ozil speeds off in the car

Mesut Ozil (dyed blonde hair) was pictured talking to officers outside Turkish restaurant Likya on Golders Green Road in north London after the wild attack

Mesut Ozil (far right), his wife Amine Gulse (far left) with Sead Kolasinac and his bride Bella Kolasinac on their wedding day last month in Baden, Germany

Turkey's President Recep Tayyip Erdogan speaks to Turkish-German soccer player Mesut Ozil and his wife Amine Gulse during a wedding ceremony over the Bosporus in Istanbul last month 

Who is Sead 'The Tank' Kolasinac? 

Sead Kolasinac's family fled the genocidal Bosnian war in the early 1990s and he was born in Karlsruhe, Germany.

In his youth he played for German national sides before switching to play for Bosnia and Herzegovina in 2013. 

As well as his 'Tank' nickname, the 26-year-old is known to London crowds as 'The Destroyer' and to Bosnian fans as 'The Hulk.'

Kolasinac and Ozil are both Muslims and share a close connection on and off the field, they have reportedly been friends since childhood.

Ozil was at the north London side ahead of Kolasinac and took the younger man under his wing when he arrived. 

Kolasinac began his senior career at German side Schalke 04 before signing on a free transfer for the Gunners in 2017.

Kolasinac is renowned for his no-nonsense tackling and adored by the Emirates faithful for his bruising defending at fullback. 

He scored on his debut against London rivals Chelsea in the Community Shield.

Since then he has won Player of the Month awards at Arsenal.

His wife Bella is a social media influencer and the pair were married last month in Baden, Germany.

Bella's wedding dress was made by the same designer as Ozil's bride. 

Kolasinac, 26, darts towards the front end of the Mercedes to face off an attacker as he makes sure the front passenger door is protected.

The fullback then rushes to the rear of the vehicle to steam towards an oncoming assailant who appears to be wielding a blade while wearing a motorbike helmet.

At this point Ozil is able to speed off in the £100,000 SUV as Kolasinac swings his bare-fists at the thug.

Waiters and chefs from Turkish restaurant Likya rushed to the aid of the football stars when they arrived forcing the scooter gang to flee empty handed. 

Neither of the Premier League players from the north London club were harmed during the incident and did not require hospital treatment. 

Financial worker Azuka Alintah, 36, told the MailOnline: 'Ozil looked absolutely terrified, as anybody would after being chased by men with knives.  

'He looked like he was running for his life. And I suppose he was.

'I saw him disappear into the restaurant with the motorcycle guys on his tail. 

'They didn't take off their helmets and were all in black, wearing long sleeved tops in this hot weather. They stood out.

'God knows what would have happened if they'd caught him. It looked to me like he'd have been hacked to shreds and he clearly thought so too.

'As soon as the restaurant staff started to come to the window and to the doorway, they turned around and roared off.'

Kolasinac's fearless defence of his teammate is unsurprising to many Gunners fans who saw how Ozil took the Bosniak under his wing when he joined the north London club in 2017.

Kolasinac can be seen darting from the front end of the car to the rear as he faces off the assailants while protecting the passenger side door of the SUV

Kolasinac can be seen taking on one of the attackers who wears a helmet and appears to be wielding a weapon

Fellow Gunners star Sead Kolasinac was seen warding off the attackers with his bare hands after leaping from the luxurious Mercedes

Mesut Ozil and Sead Kolasinac in a warm up session in Los Angeles earlier this month as part of their pre-season - they had only just returned from the States last night

Mesut Oszil (dyed blonde hair) can be seen talking to officers after the attack outside a Turkish restaurant he dived into to escape

Ozil abandoned his car in the middle of the road and fled on foot, ducking into the Turkish restaurant Likya

Who is Mesut Ozil? 

The 30-year-old Arsenal midfielder signed for the north London side in 2013 for an undisclosed fee of around £43million from Real Madrid.

The German footballer, whose family is Turkish, whipped up a political storm when he was pictured alongside Turkey's President Recep Tayyip Erdogan last May.

Criticism intensified after the defending champions Germany crashed out in the first round of the World Cup in Russia.

In the wake of the World Cup fiasco, Ozil announced his resignation from the national squad, saying: 'I am German when we win, an immigrant when we lose'. 

Erdogan was Ozil's best man last month when he was married in Instanbul to former Miss Turkey Amine Gulse in June.

He rose to prominence after stunning appearances in the U21 European Championships in 2009, netting a brace against England in Germany's 4-0 victory in the final.

He transferred from Werder Bremen to Real Madrid in 2010 after a stellar performance in the senior World Cup of that year.

He has impressed the Emirates crowds with his immaculate touches and ability to place balls on a ten pence piece.

The childhood friends are exceptionally close and last month they were pictured together at Kolasinac's marriage to Bella, alongside Ozil's wife Amine Gulse in Baden, Germany.

Indeed, both Bella and Amine wore wedding dresses by the same designer at their recent ceremonies. The Ozils' wedding took place in Instanbul last month and Turkey's President Reccep Tayyip Erdogan was his best man.

Witnesses said Ozil's car with distinctive gold trim was left in the middle of the road with the driver's door open.

After police arrived they blocked off the road as other units looked for the scooter gang. 

The brazen attack took place near to the busy Golders Green Road in north London.

Ozil and Kolasinac had only returned to London the day before after a successful pre-season tour in America.  

The pair gave statements to police before being allowed to leave.

An Arsenal spokesman confirmed the players were involved in attempted carjacking, saying: 'We have been in contact with both players and they are fine.'

The footballers were in action just yesterday morning for the Premier League side as they played Real Madrid in 2-2 draw in Washington DC before a late night transatlantic flight. 

Renowned Arsenal fan Piers Morgan tweeted: 'Incredible guts from Sead Kolasinac - looks like he took on the whole moped/knife gang.'

A motorbike can be seen in the foreground after the attackers boxed in the SUV - Kolasinac (wearing a baseball cap) wastes no time in getting out to protect his teammate

Mesut Ozil and his wife Amine in a recent social media posting. The football star was unharmed in the attack

Ozil is latest high profile figure to be targeted by knife wielding gangs in London.

In 2016, then West Ham forward Andy Carroll was chased by two motorcyclists, one pointing a gun at him, as he drove his Jeep Wrangler home from training.

Comedian Michael McIntyre was forced to hand over his expensive watch after being set upon by an armed gang.

A Scotland Yard spokesman said: 'Police were called to Platts Lane, NW3, shortly before 5pm on Thursday, 25 July to reports of an attempted robbery. 

'It was reported that suspects on motorbikes had attempted to rob a man who was driving a car. 

'The driver, along with his passenger, managed to get away unharmed and travelled to a restaurant in Golders Green, where they were spoken to by officers. There have been no arrests. Enquiries continue.'

Did YOU witness the drama? Email ross.ibbetson@dailymail.co.uk

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News Photo Arsenal stars in carjack terror: Mesut Ozil is attacked by knife-wielding motorbike thugs in London
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