Detectives have issued an appeal for members of the public to come forward after a man was left critically ill following an incident in Barnet.

Police were called at 22:24hrs on Thursday, 17 June to reports of a fight in High Road, Whetstone N20.

Officers attended along with the London Ambulance Service and found a 29-year-old man suffering from knife wounds.

He was taken to a north London hospital, where he remains in critical condition. His family are aware.

Five males, [A] 27, [B] 28 and [C] 29, [D] 29 and [E]29 were arrested on Friday, 18 June on suspicion of affray. They were taken to north London police station and later released on bail.

Four more men [F] 27, [G] 33, [H] 35 and [I] 55 have been arrested today, Saturday, 19 June on suspicion of attempted murder and remain in custody.

Detective Inspector Jonathan Newell is investigating. He said: “The victim in this incident is critically ill in hospital with his distraught family at his bedside. We are doing all we can to support them and provide them with the answers to the questions they are asking.

“Our investigation is fast-paced and progressing quickly. We have made a substantial number of arrests but there is still much more work to do. The public can help us. I believe there was at least one person who filmed this incident on their mobile phone. I need those people to contact us – it is imperative that we know everything about the events that led up to it.”

Anyone who witnessed this incident or has dash-cam footage should call police on 101 or Tweet @MetCC quoting 8736/17JUN.

To remain 100% anonymous contact the independent charity Crimestoppers on 0800 555 111 or visit Crimestoppers_uk.org.