Three Australian muggers who struck near a martial arts school got the fright of their lives when five black-clad ninjas foiled their attack.
The three muggers, who were beating and kicking a trainee medic from Germany, fled in panic when the student ninjas aged 18 to 47 raced out of the nearby hall where they had training.
Kaylan Soto, 42, who was training the students said that they froze and immediately ran as fast as they could to help the trainee medic.
Soto said the ninjitsu class was wrapping up late on Tuesday when one of his students went outside and saw the men attacking the 27-year-old German, who was near the end of an eight-week exchange visit.
He called out to his Sensei(teacher) and told him someone was getting mugged on the road outside. Soto told AFP
His students ran out andstarting running towards them, yelling and everything. The muggers turned around and saw five ninjas in black ninja uniforms running towards them.
Police said two men aged 16 and 20 had been arrested over the attack and released a picture of a third aged between 15 and 17.
Soto said the German, who had his mobile phone and iPod stolen could have escaped the beating with training ninjitsu -- a Japanese martial art focusing on stealth, pressure points and weaponary.
"For the attackers it was a very unlucky place to do it -- somewhere where you've got a martial arts ninja school up the road," he said.
"You read stories like this but you would think it never happens. They just picked the wrong spot."
