It was prompted by a false allegation of rape, he alleged, that gave the “kalas” — a derogatory term for black people in Punjabi — the perfect excuse to loot Pakistani and Bangladeshi-owned shops in an inner-city corner of Birmingham.

“This riot is about them getting hold of what we sell in our shops,” he said. “Someone has invented a story about a young girl being raped by a Pakistani to justify a smash-and-grab raid. If this rape victim exists, where is she? If she doesn’t exist, why did they attack our property?”

Eighty yards away on the same road, outside the imposing steeple of the New Testament Church of God, Maxwell, a 19-year-old student, said that the rape definitely happened — his cousin knew someone who knew the girl, he alleged — and the riot showed that the Afro-Caribbean community is ready to fight back against predatory Pakistani men.

“We have been pushed around for too long. That lot,” he said gesturing towards the Asian shops where some Asian youths were gathered, “think they can do whatever they want, including rape our women. Now they know they can’t.”

As police and community leaders try to separate fact from fiction, they are concerned that the riot in this racially fraught north Birmingham enclave might lead to further disturbances between young Pakistani men and their young black neighbours.

The animosity between Abdul’s Pakistani community and Maxwell’s Afro-Caribbean community has not abated since the violence in which four people were stabbed. A black man in his twenties died from knife injuries. A policeman was shot in the leg. Cars were set on fire, and hundreds of police officers in riot gear were attacked with baseball bats, bricks and bottles.

The spark for the disturbances — an unproven allegation that a Pakistani man, or men, raped a 14-year-old black girl in a hair products shop just off the Lozells Road — is still being hotly debated on the streets.

Last night 40 policemen guarded the shop. Yesterday afternoon posters had been fixed around the building that read, “Teenager brutally assaulted and raped” and, “A rape happened here”. But, although police said on Saturday that they had arrested three men in connection with an allegation of rape, Assistant Chief Constable David Shaw, from West Midlands Police, said that his officers had not received “a shred of evidence” to support the claims. The girl had not come forward or been identified to the police, he added.

Despite the lack of evidence, anger over the alleged rape has been fuelled by black community websites, one of which is promoted by the British Council. Last Tuesday BlacknetUK printed an allegation that “Birmingham Asian shop owner and 18 other Asian men have raped a 14yr [sic] old black girl at the back of their Hair & Beauty shop because they thought she was trying to steal a wig,” and invited comments.

One contributor to the site wrote: “I hope Asian women are getting their throats cut as we speak.” Another said: “Best to narrow it down to Pakistani women then I’ll agree with you.” By Friday, black community radio stations were also discussing the alleged rape, and that night they were broadcasting details of the alleged crime as fact, according to one listener who spoke to The Times.

On Saturday, at 5.45pm, community leaders called a meeting at the New Testament Church of God to try to quell public concerns about the alleged attack. More than a hundred people attended, many of whom were said by one police officer not to have been involved in the violence.

After the meeting, however, locals reported seeing a gang of 40 black youths wearing hooded tops running down the street armed with sticks and baseball bats. At least four cars were set alight and Asian shops were attacked with bricks.

Half an hour later, a group of young Asian men were seen arming themselves with sticks and rocks near the church, according to one shopkeeper.

Detectives were called to reports of a stabbing at 7.15pm and another man was stabbed in the same incident, West Midlands Police said.

Two hours later, a man was stabbed at the Farcroft Hotel in Rookery Road, Handsworth, and, 20 minutes after that, reports came in of a man being shot and another man being stabbed at the Uplands pub in Oxhill Road near by.

Shortly after 10pm, police were told that one of their officers had been shot in the thigh by a ball-bearing gun. Police confirmed last night that a 23-year-old Afro-Caribbean man died from a single stab wound inflicted in Carlyle Road, Lozells. Detective Superintendent Dave Mirfield, who is leading the murder hunt, said that police had received 12 reports of gunfire during the disturbances, 80 crimes were reported and 35 people were taken to hospital.

The shopkeeper at the centre of the allegations has reportedly denied that any rape took place and has offered himself to the police to be interviewed.The 33-year-old man, who owns Beauty Queen Cosmetics and asked to remain anonymous, told a newspaper that he had been branded a rapist by rival cosmetic companies.

“It was originally claimed as far back as six months ago that I had fondled a young black female customer, which was totally untrue. By last week I had become a monster who had instigated a 19-man gang rape of a 14-year-old girl,” he said.

“I truly don’t know where all this has come from. I can only suspect that this campaign of hate has been initiated by rivals who can’t stand the fact that an Asian man is selling African products.”

Despite this, black community leaders have maintained that the alleged victim may still come forward, but could be reluctant to do so because she is rumoured to be an illegal immigrant.

The Rev Joe Aldred, from the Council of Black-led Churches, said: “The police said they will investigate these claims, and I believe that we can have no opinion until they have finished their investigations. Some people are convinced that it did happen. We must wait and see.”

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