Story highlights The Kurdish-Iranian, 17, was set upon by a large group as he stood at a bus stop

He suffered a fractured skull and a blood clot on the brain

London (CNN) Five people have been charged in a brutal attack on a teenage asylum-seeker in London that left him with serious head injuries.

Police said that a group of about 20 people was involved in the attack on the 17-year-old in the Croydon borough of southeast London, which they said was being treated as a hate crime.

The Press Association reported that the teenager was a Kurdish Iranian and suffered a fractured skull and a blood clot on his brain. Police have not identified him.

The teenager remained in intensive care in a hospital on Monday, where his condition was described as "serious" but not life threatening.

Police arrested nine people, ranging in age from 17 to 26, over the weekend and another person on Monday in connection with the attack.

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