Two held in 'Islamic patrol' probe

Two men have been arrested by police investigating reports a gang claiming to be Islamic vigilantes have been confronting people in the street demanding they throw away alcohol and cover their bare skin.

In one video, posted online, men from the self-styled Muslim patrol in Whitechapel, east London, tell another man "no drink in this area, it's a Muslim area" before ordering him to pour away his alcohol.

It has been reported that another video shows the group shouting homophobic abuse at a man and tell him "get out of here you fag... don't stay around here any more".

A Metropolitan Police spokesman said: "Officers investigating a series of incidents that took place over the course of the weekend of 12/13 January in east London, whereby a small group of individuals were seen to approach and harass members of the public at various locations, have arrested two men.

"Videos of the incidents were uploaded onto YouTube."

A 22-year-old man was arrested in Acton, west London on Sunday, and a 19-year-old man was arrested on Monday after going to an east London police station.

The pair were arrested on suspicion of causing grievous bodily harm and public order offences and were bailed to return to an east London police station in February and March pending further inquiries.

The police spokesman added: "The Metropolitan Police Service takes these incidents very seriously and is pursuing various lines of inquiry with a view to identifying and prosecuting the individuals concerned."