Windows smashed at Pakistan High Commission in London amid tensions with India; man arrested

London: An Indian-origin man has been arrested for allegedly smashing the windows of the High Commission of Pakistan in the UK capital, police said on Monday.

The incident comes amid tension in India-Pakistan relations following the terror attack in Pahalgam that killed 26 people. There have been demonstrations over it by the Indian and Pakistani diaspora in London.

Ankit Love, 41, was arrested on Sunday and charged with criminal damage, the Metropolitan Police said. The force said its officers were called to reports of a man allegedly smashing the windows of the diplomatic mission in the early hours of Sunday.

Love was remanded in custody to appear at Westminster Magistrates’ Court on Monday.

“Ankit Love, 41 (07.08.83) of no fixed address was charged with criminal damage on Sunday, 27 April,” a Metropolitan Police spokesperson said.

“He was remanded in custody to appear at Westminster Magistrates’ Court on Monday, 28 April. The charge follows an incident at around 05:00hrs on Sunday, 27 April when police were called to reports of a man allegedly smashing the windows of the Pakistani High Commission in Lowndes Square, Kensington and Chelsea,” the spokesperson said.

The incident follows a heated demonstration on Friday organised by Indian community organisations to protest against Pakistan’s alleged support for cross-border terrorism in the wake of the Pahalgam attack.

A group of Pakistani counter-protesters, backed up by diplomatic officials, deployed loudspeakers to drown out the slogans and chants of the Indian side.

One Pakistani diplomat was also caught on camera on Friday making a threatening throat-slitting gesture towards the Indian protesters from the balcony of the High Commission building in central London.

A series of anti-terror vigils have continued over the weekend, with Indian diaspora and community groups coming together in mourning for the victims of the April 22 terror attack across London, Manchester and Belfast.

A large protest at the High Commission of India in London was called on Sunday to counter a smaller Pakistani demonstration across the street against what they had branded as “Indian propaganda” over the terrorist attack in Pahalgam.

“Spoke to Foreign Secretary David Lammy of UK today. Discussed the cross-border terrorist attack at Pahalgam. Underlined the importance of zero tolerance for terrorism,” External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar said in a social media post on Sunday.