Huge explosion near O2 Arena ‘staged by child abuser Jacky Jhaj’
An explosion near the O2 Arena which sparked bomb fears was staged by a convicted child abuser for a bizarre film stunt, it has been claimed.
Dozens of calls to 999 were made after a fireball blast at a construction yard across the river from the East London venue sent smoke billowing into the sky and was heard from miles away on Saturday.
People nearby said it sounded like a ‘bomb going off’ or an ‘earthquake’, and those looking from a distance could see vehicles and a shipping container on fire.
The explosion turned out to have been a pre-planned detonation which was part of a film production, though locals said the council failed to warn them.
A video shared on social media suggests sex offender Jacky Jhaj, 38, was heavily involved in the shoot.
He was jailed for four years for sexual activity with two 15-year-old girls he groomed while posing as a film producer.
The footage appears to show him completely naked walking in front of a lorry trailer bearing BBC branding and a prop police van, which suddenly explodes.
Jacky Jhaj was jailed for four years in 2016 for sexual activity with two 15-year-old girls
The footage appears to show Jhaj smoking as he walks away from the blast
Large chunks of debris are flung outwards as roaring flames engulf the remains of the van.
In separate footage filmed from a nearby high-rise, the fire appeared to have spread to the lorry trailer, with huge plumes of smoke rising upwards.
It’s thought the fire got out of control, forcing the crew to call emergency services.
Jhaj had hired the crew under the name ‘Toby’, wearing a prosthetic ‘villain mask’ on set which concealed his identity, according to a MailOnline report.
Huge flames and plumes of smoke could be seen from the O2
Shocked locals were not warned that the blast was part of a film production
One of the cast was said to have recognised him when he removed his mask, prompting the crew to pull out.
In addition to being pictured in media reports of his conviction, Jhaj has repeatedly made headlines since his release for staging bizarre scenes which put him in close contact with children.
In November last year, some 200 children and young women were reportedly hired to play fans at a fake film premiere in London’s Leicester Square where Jhaj appeared on a red carpet to greet them.
In April it emerged he was behind a £10,000 fake funeral at a west London church and used a well-known casting website to hire child actors to play some of the mourners.
Jhaj previously appeared in a bizarre staged film premiere involving children hired as extras
Although the funeral was staged, it was held in the name of a real drowning victim and the presiding priest was led to believe it was real – only halting proceedings after realising it was being filmed mid-way through.
He is due to appear in court next year accused of breaching a sexual harm prevention order in connection with a casting session he set up with child actors at a dance school in east London, according to MailOnline.
A source told the outlet: ‘He has apparently got form in terms of setting up fictitious films and things like that, hiding the agenda and his identity from the legitimate and professional businesses and individuals that get booked via a separate production company to carry out the film work.
‘Now we think this one was a giant F U to the BBC, the police and the newspapers for outing him for the offences that he was committed or charged with.’
It took four fire engines and 25 firefighters to get the wayward blaze ‘under control’, the London Fire Brigade said.
Jhaj pictured outside a dance school where he reportedly staged a ‘meet-and-greet’ with child fans
It added in a statement: ‘One van was destroyed by the fire and most of a car and lorry were damaged by the fire.
‘There are currently no reports of any injuries.’
The production was initially scheduled for August 24, and a post appeared on the Royal Borough of Greenwich Facebook page warning people of a ‘loud explosion’ linked to ‘filming’ taking place that day.
The stunt was postponed by a week but there does not appear to have been any efforts to warn the public.
A spokesperson for the Met Police said: ‘The Met was made aware of the pre-planned filming, including the use of explosives, prior to the event taking place on the evening of Saturday, 31 August.
‘It appears this information was not disseminated as widely as it should have been and we are looking at the systems currently in place to establish why this was the case in this instance.’