Pahalgam terror attack: London police arrest Indian man Ankit Love for vandalising Pakistan High Commission

Amid heightened tensions between India and Pakistan following the Pahalgam terror attack, an Indian man has been arrested for allegedly vandalising the Pakistan High Commission in London.

The incident occurred in the early hours of Sunday, when the man, identified as 41-year-old Ankit Love, smashed the windows of the diplomatic mission.

This follows a heated demonstration on Friday, organised by Indian community groups, protesting Pakistan’s involvement in cross-border terrorism in the wake of the Pahalgam terror attack.

The Metropolitan Police confirmed on Monday that Ankit Love, 41, was arrested on Sunday and charged with criminal damage. Police were called after reports of a man allegedly smashing the windows of the diplomatic mission in the early hours of Sunday.

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

“He was remanded in custody to appear at Westminster Magistrates’ Court on Monday, April 28. The charge follows an incident around 05:00hrs on Sunday, April 27, 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 added.

The terrorist attack at Baisaran Meadow in Pahalgam on April 22 killed 25 Indian nationals and one Nepali citizen, while several others were injured.

Demonstration outside the Pakistan High Commission

Hundreds of members of the Indian community gathered outside the Pakistan High Commission in London on Friday to protest the terrorist attack in Jammu and Kashmir's Pahalgam.

Holding Indian flags, banners, and placards, the protesters expressed deep sorrow over the loss of innocent lives and demanded justice for the victims. They raised slogans against terrorism and criticised Pakistan for supporting and sheltering terror groups responsible for such attacks.

The Indian community demanded that the UK government summon the Pakistan High Commissioner for an official explanation, Pakistan must publicly condemn the killings and commit to ending the sponsorship of terrorism, and Diplomatic pressure must be applied to bring the perpetrators and their funders to justice.

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

Colonel Taimur Rahat, Pakistan Army and Air Advisor in the High Commission in London was also caught on camera publicly making a threatening throat slit gesture towards Indian community protestors.