Police storm occupied mosque

Forty Muslims were arrested after police in riot gear forced their way into a mosque in Luton that had been occupied by a group of protesters armed with baseball bats and staves.

The mosque has been the subject of a bitter power struggle over the past two years between the controlling committee and supporters of Qazi Chishti, the former Imam. There were several angry confrontations in the town yesterday, and police said they had been 'acting in a protective role'.