An Islamist radical who has praised the 7/7 bombers and publicly heckled the Home Secretary was arrested yesterday on suspicion of glorifying terrorism.

Abu Izzadeen, 31, a British convert to Islam and former leader of the banned groups al-Ghurabaa and the Saved Sect, was arrested in Leyton, East London, by officers from the Counter Terrorism Command.

He was being held last night at Paddington Green high security police station under section one of the Terrorism Act 2006, which outlaws the incitement, encouragement and glorification of acts of terrorism.

It is understood that he was detained in connection with a speech he made at a community centre in Small Heath, Birmingham, to coinicide with the first anniversary of the July 7 suicide bombings.

He was allegedly filmed describing non-Muslims as “animals” and “cowards” and praising Mohammed Sidique Khan, the leader of the four suicide bombers who murdered 52 people in London on 7/7.

Police sources insisted that the arrest was not connected with his heckling of Mr Reid at a community meeting in London last year, nor with the anti-terrorist arrests in the West Midlands last week.

Neither is his arrest linked to an ITV News report this week of a speech in 2004 when he advocated the beheading of Muslims who joined the British Army.

But Muslim community leaders, including some of his staunch opponents, expressed concern that the connection with Birmingham could exacerbate tensions caused by the arrests of nine people over an alleged plot to kidnap a soldier.

Abu Bakr, one of two men released without charge, said that Britain had become “a police state for Muslims”.

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