Police investigate Muhammad march extremists who cried 'death'

LONDON - A special police squad has been set up to investigate Islamic extremists involved in the protests over cartoons mocking the Prophet Muhammad, Scotland Yard has announced.

The move comes after growing protests over the failure to arrest the militant demonstrators who carried placards threatening violence, beheadings and suicide bombings.

Home Secretary Charles Clarke joined MPs in sending a strong signal to the Metropolitan Police and the Director of Public Prosecutions to bring prosecutions against the extremists involved in protests outside the Danish embassy in London on Friday.

The Met Police promised an urgent and swift inquiry, headed by a detective chief inspector, and said quick decisions would be taken on whether to advise the Crown Prosecution Service to bring incitement charges.

Pictures of Muslim protester Omar Khayam dressed as a suicide bomber will be among those studied by the Scotland Yard team. Others showed placards threatening a repeat of the September 11 and July 7 attacks and calling for the beheading of those responsible for the cartoons.

Downing Street issued a forthright statement condemning as "completely unacceptable" the behaviour of the extremists, but saying it was up to the police to decide whether to prosecute.

Prime Minister Tony Blair's official spokesman said the Government understood the offence caused by the cartoons but said this did not justify the violence seen in Syria and Lebanon, including the burning of the Danish embassy.

In an emergency Commons statement, Clarke said the police and prosecutors were carrying out "rigorous assessments" about the appropriate way to proceed in individual cases.

"If the police conclude there have been breaches of the law and decide to take any action, we would, of course, support them," he told MPs.

He joined Downing Street in expressing solidarity with the Danish Government, which he said had done everything possible to handle a very difficult situation.

Tory home affairs spokesman David Davis said it was essential that action was taken against protesters who deliberately tried to stir up violence in demonstrations that had "emphatically crossed" the line of acceptable, civilised behaviour.

"Placards carrying the slogans calling for people who insult Islam to be beheaded or massacred are direct incitements to violence.

"Slogans like 'Europe your 9/11 will come' or 'Europe you will pay, Fantastic 4 are on their way', are, at best, indirect incitements to violence, as is dressing up as a suicide bomber."

Clarke sought to use the protests to challenge opponents of the Government's Terror Bill to drop their opposition to some of the most controversial proposals including a clause to outlaw the "glorification" of terrorism, which was thrown out in the Lords. His remarks are certain to intensify the row over the bill when it returns to the Commons next week.

Ministers appeared to harden their rhetoric after the demonstrations, with the police accused of standing by while protesters carried banners that appeared to incite people to murder.

Clarke called on Tory leader David Cameron to drop opposition to a clause outlawing glorification of terrorism. But Cameron later appeared to rule out any compromise over the plans.

Asked if he would back the law, he said: "I believe in free speech, but free speech under the law. Many of those people carrying those placards were clearly inciting violence or inciting hatred and that is against the law. It does not need any new glorification laws. The things they are inciting people to do are against the law today."

- INDEPENDENT