British police arrested 22 suspected members of a banned Islamist group on Friday during a protest outside the US embassy in London against the use of drones, Scotland Yard said. The demonstrators were believed to be from the "Muslims Against Crusades" group, which was outlawed in Britain last month amid fears it would burn poppies on Armistice Day celebrations, sources said.
A spokesman for London's Metropolitan Police said it had arrested 20 people "for further investigation around being suspected of being a member of a proscribed group." "There were two further arrests, one for obstruction, one for violent disorder. They are currently in custody," the spokesman told AFP, confirming that the arrests were outside the US embassy. A police source said the banned group was Muslims Against Crusades. The Press Association news agency said the demonstration was in protest against attacks by US drones targeting militants in Pakistan and that a number of demonstrators remained at the scene.