Convicted Özil Robber Reflects on Failed 2019 Attack Without Remorse

Ashley Smith, who served five years for the attempted robbery of Mesut Özil and Sead Kolasinac, speaks publicly about the incident, expressing regret only over the lack of stolen goods.

• In 2019, Mesut Özil and Sead Kolasinac were targeted in a brazen street robbery in London by Ashley Smith and Jordan Northover, who fled empty-handed after Kolasinac fought back.
• Smith, recently released after serving half of his 10-year sentence, spoke on a podcast, showing little remorse and lamenting the missed opportunity to steal luxury items worth an estimated €180,000.
• The attackers, riding mopeds, used a knitting needle as a weapon, which Smith clarified after earlier assumptions it was a knife.
• Özil and Kolasinac escaped the attackers during a chaotic pursuit, ultimately finding safety in a Turkish restaurant where bystanders intervened.
• Smith admitted the robbery was poorly executed, describing it as a result of greed and bad planning, and acknowledged his history of both large and small thefts.

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