Mussie Imnetu, 41, is fighting for his life in hospital after being attacked near Notting Hill Carnival on Monday night. PA
Mussie Imnetu, 41, is fighting for his life in hospital after being attacked near Notting Hill Carnival on Monday night. PA
Mussie Imnetu, 41, is fighting for his life in hospital after being attacked near Notting Hill Carnival on Monday night. PA
Mussie Imnetu, 41, is fighting for his life in hospital after being attacked near Notting Hill Carnival on Monday night. PA

Police appeal after Dubai chef seriously injured at Notting Hill Carnival


Neil Murphy
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Police have appealed for information after a Dubai chef was left seriously injured in an incident near the Notting Hill Carnival in west London.

Swedish citizen Mussie Imnetu, 41, was found unconscious with a head injury at the Dr Power restaurant on Queensway, Bayswater, at about 11.30pm on Monday.

Police officers provided emergency first aid until paramedics arrived and Mr Imnetu was taken to hospital, where he remains “critically ill”.

A 31-year-old man was arrested in east London on Wednesday on suspicion of attempted murder and remains in police custody.

Police appeal

Mr Imnetu, who previously worked under celebrity chefs Gordon Ramsay and Alain Ducasse, is listed as head chef at The Brasserie at the Arts Club Dubai and was visiting the UK on a business trip.

Family members have been informed and are now being helped by specialist officers, Metropolitan Police said.

Detectives are appealing for more witnesses to come forward. The area was "extremely busy" with revellers attending the nearby Notting Hill Carnival, police said.

Mr Imnetu left The Arts Club, a private members-only club in Mayfair, on his own shortly after 1pm on Monday, wearing a blue T-shirt and black jeans.

CCTV shows Mussie Imnetu leaving The Arts Club, a private members establishment in Mayfair, shortly after 1pm on Monday. PA
CCTV shows Mussie Imnetu leaving The Arts Club, a private members establishment in Mayfair, shortly after 1pm on Monday. PA

Mr Imnetu is said to have later bought a white baseball cap before arriving alone at the Dr Power restaurant, which was busy with carnival goers, at about 10.30pm.

Scotland Yard is urged witnesses of the attack to come forward, saying it took place at 11.20pm and that customers at the venue had tried to stop it.

Seven thousand police officers were on hand at this year's Notting Hill Carnival, during which eight people were stabbed and more than 300 arrested.

The event was first held in 1959 to celebrate the area's growing Caribbean population but has attracted growing criticism in recent years for a high number of public order offences.

Detective Chief Inspector Brian Howie, leading the investigation, said: “While the arrest of a suspect is a significant step in our investigation, we are still very keen to hear from anyone who can help piece together Mussie’s movements between when he left The Arts Club at 1pm and when he arrived at Dr Power restaurant at 10.30pm."

Three tips from La Perle's performers

1 The kind of water athletes drink is important. Gwilym Hooson, a 28-year-old British performer who is currently recovering from knee surgery, found that out when the company was still in Studio City, training for 12 hours a day. “The physio team was like: ‘Why is everyone getting cramps?’ And then they realised we had to add salt and sugar to the water,” he says.

2 A little chocolate is a good thing. “It’s emergency energy,” says Craig Paul Smith, La Perle’s head coach and former Cirque du Soleil performer, gesturing to an almost-empty open box of mini chocolate bars on his desk backstage.

3 Take chances, says Young, who has worked all over the world, including most recently at Dragone’s show in China. “Every time we go out of our comfort zone, we learn a lot about ourselves,” she says.

Updated: August 29, 2024, 2:18 PM