Saudi news crew robbed on camera while reporting London street thefts

Dubai: A Saudi news crew covering the rise in thefts on London’s streets found themselves the victims of the very crime they were reporting on in full view of their own cameras.

The team from Al Ekhbariya, a state-owned Saudi broadcaster, was filming on Oxford Street, one of the capital’s busiest shopping destinations, when a man approached their equipment, snatched a piece of gear, and sprinted away. 

The theft unfolded in seconds and was captured in sharp detail by the crew’s rolling cameras.

The channel later posted the footage on X with a wry caption: “While filming a report on the rise of theft in London, Al Ekhbariya crew had one of their devices stolen on Oxford Street.”

The incident comes amid a sharp increase in street crime across London, particularly mobile phone theft, which the British Home Office recently described as reaching “epic proportions.”

Government figures indicate a phone is stolen roughly every three minutes in the United Kingdom.

Social media users seized on the irony, sharing and commenting on the video. One called it “the report that wrote itself.”

The suspect, seen in the footage wearing a gray jacket, has not been identified. London police have not yet confirmed whether an investigation is underway.