British Transport Police publish image of two people after reported racially aggravated incident at Bond Street
British Transport Police (BTP) have released a photograph of two people they wish to speak to following what they describe as a "racially aggravated" incident at Bond Street Underground station in central London.
Officers say the incident occurred at about 7:30pm on 11 October. According to the BTP statement, a woman entering the station with her sister and two young children — one in a pushchair — was racially abused and assaulted.
“The victim was entering Bond Street Underground station with her sister and two young children, one of whom was in a pushchair. A man and woman were walking together in front of them when the woman collided with the pushchair,” the force said.
“The man then began shouting racial abuse at the victim and her family, before the woman grabbed her hair. When the victim tried to defend herself the man pulled out a small bottle and said it was pepper spray before spraying it in the direction of the victim and her family. The woman shouted abuse and made lewd gestures at them before both parties left the area.”
BTP emphasised that the use or possession of pepper spray is illegal in the UK and that officers believe the man and woman in the published image may have information that could assist their enquiries. The force asked anyone with information to come forward.
CNN has identified the pair in the image as Melissa Rein Lively, a pro-Trump influencer who runs America First PR, and her partner, Philipp Ostermann, a German private equity professional. The police statement did not say whether they believed the couple were directly involved, and identification by media does not imply guilt.
CNN contacted both individuals. Rein Lively did not answer questions for comment and instead provided an unrelated press release; Ostermann did not respond. Rein Lively's account on X (formerly Twitter) is temporarily disabled, and her company's site refers to plans for a transatlantic "Europe First PR" sister agency. Ostermann's conference appearance in London was removed from the event schedule, his biography has been taken down from his employer's website, and his LinkedIn profile has been deleted.
Background
Rein Lively has been active in conservative media circles and last year publicly promoted a bid for the White House press secretary role. She also attracted attention in July 2020 when a viral video showed her damaging a mask display at a Target store in Scottsdale, Arizona, during the Covid-19 pandemic; she later said she had been involved with QAnon but subsequently denounced the movement.
This is an ongoing police inquiry. Anyone who witnessed the incident or has information is asked to contact British Transport Police quoting reference 16/10/24 (or the reference provided in the force’s public appeal) or to report information online via the BTP website.
