THE man who dressed as a suicide bomber at the London protests against cartoons depicting the prophet Muhammad has been arrested and taken to prison.

Omar Khayam, who was on parole from prison at the time of the demonstration, was arrested on Tuesday morning for breaching his parole conditions.

The 22-year-old Bedford student was released from prison only a few months ago after being jailed for six years in 2002 for possessing crack cocaine, with intent to supply.

"He was arrested at the behest of the Home Office," a police spokesman told Reuters.

Mr Khayam will be detained pending a Parole Board hearing.

The Bradford man shocked Britain by wearing a fake explosive belt at the protest outside Denmark's embassy on Saturday.

The protestors denounced the cartoons which were first published in a Danish newspaper and have since sparked outrage across the Muslim world.

On Monday the imitation suicide bomber apologised "wholeheartedly" for offending families of the July 7 bombing victims.

He told reporters outside his home he found the cartoons "deeply offensive". But by wearing a fake explosive belt, he did "exactly the same as the Danish newspaper, if not worse".

Accompanied by the chairman of his local mosque and Bedford MP Patrick Hall, he said: "Just because we have the right of free speech and a free media, it does not mean we may say and do as we please and not take into account the effect it will have on others."

Intelligence reports suggest that some right-wing groups are plotting to disrupt rallies in London being planned by Islamic groups later this week, according to The Times.

"Our worry is a counter-demonstration where, say, someone sets fire to a Koran."

Downing Street said in a statement the behaviour of some demonstrators was "completely unacceptable". Tony Blair's spokesman also condemned violence in Syria and Lebanon, where mobs torched Danish embassies over the weekend.

Number 10 understood the "offence" caused by the cartoons, one of which depicted Muhammad with a bomb-shaped turban on his head. "But nothing can justify the violence aimed at European embassies or at the country of Denmark."

Scotland Yard received more than 100 complaints about the protest in the capital, the Press Association reported.

A Met spokesman said a "post-event investigation team" was reviewing evidence gathered by specialist officers on both protest days. This includes "police video and sound recording, CCTV and officers' written records".

"Where potential offences have been committed we will pass evidence to the Crown Prosecution Service. We will then take action following their advice."