Banned Muslim extremist group arrested at US Embassy - London

A group of around forty muslims calling themselves "United Ummah" protested today at the US Embassy in Grosvenor Square against the deployment by the US military of remote-controlled drone aircraft in Pakistan and Afghanistan, amidst a very large police presence. The police Forward Intelligence Team there identified many of the protesters as members of Muslims Against Crusades, an extremist muslim sect now banned in the UK since November 2011, led by Andrem Choudray who did not attend today.

After the protesters' Immam had finished his sermon and they had all prayed the police moved in in large numbers into the crowd and started arresting those identified as belonging to a banned organisation. Everyone in the protest was identified and searched by the police. Twenty-two former MAC members were arrested and taken away in police vans, but those not associated with MAC were later released. Two people were arrested were arrested for violent disorder.

A small contingent of English Defence League (EDL) members turned up to provoke trouble, but were quickly contained and moved away from the area by the police.