Three men have been arrested following a suspected acid attack on a three-year-old boy in Worcester on Saturday, according to Sky News.
The suspects, aged 22, 25 and 26, are being held in London on conspiracy to commit grievous bodily harm, police have confirmed.
A 39-year-old man from Wolverhampton who was arrested on Sunday also on suspicion of conspiracy to commit grievous bodily harm remains in custody.
It is not known if he is connected to the three men who have been arrested.
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It is believed that the toddler was deliberately targeted in an 'absolutely pure evil' acid attack.
The Express reported that he was left screaming in agony and with serious burns to his face and arm when the incident happened at 2:15pm on Saturday at a Home Bargains shop in Worcester, West Midlands.
The boy was in a pram when the noxious substance was sprayed or thrown into his face.
Conservative city council leader, Marc Bayliss, said: "Worcester is not that sort of place.
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"We are a quintessential small English city. I have never heard of an acid attack in Worcester so this is absolutely not something we have any experience of.
"We are a very safe city. We are one of the safest places in England according to statistics."
The MailOnline reported that the child was taken to hospital, where he was treated for burns, but has now been released. He had been shopping with his mother at the time of the afternoon attack.
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A witness, Rachel Bryant, 22, said: "I'd been shopping with my mum and were heading to Home Bargains when there were loads of police and ambulances.
"I saw a woman crying and being comforted by police. I didn't know what it was all about.
"When I heard about the little boy being attacked with acid I couldn't believe it. I assume the woman I saw could have been his mum or relative. It's horrendous to think something like this could happen to a little boy in the middle of a shop on a Saturday afternoon."
A Home Bargains spokeswoman said: "Our thoughts are with this young child and his family at this very difficult time."
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Speaking yesterday, Chief Superintendent Mark Travis, said: "A family was shopping and a young child of three was in a pushchair and it would appear that some form of substance has been thrown or sprayed towards that child.
"As a consequence of that, the child has received some form of burns. The staff and emergency services supported the family at the scene and the child was then taken to a local hospital, where they were treated for burns.
"The child received injuries to his face and arms. The child was with family members and was being well looked after and remained with family all the way through to hospital.
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"He has burns to his face and to one of his arms - at the moment we are uncertain about the long-term implications of those burns but we do hope that these won't be life-changing injuries.
"At this time, we are treating this as a deliberate attack on a three-year-old boy.
"The incident will rightly shock the local community and I would like to reassure local people that we are carrying out a thorough investigation to identify those responsible.
"At this time the motive for the attack is unclear. Officers are working hard to establish exactly what happened and what the substance involved was."
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