Birmingham man hands himself in to Coventry police over religious hate allegations

A man has been arrested on suspicion of publishing material with intent to incite religious hatred after handing himself in at a police station.

Police said they were searching for a suspect after a social media video post earlier this week.

A 37-year-old from Birmingham handed himself in to police on Friday, Coventry Police said.

The force also confirmed they had sent officers to a potential protest near a Hindu temple in Coventry on Thursday evening.

It followed a protest in Smethwick on Tuesday resulting in disorder and an arrest.

The video, police said, depicted threats being made and derogatory language being used.

The force said it had been granted extra powers to stop, search and disperse people in areas of Sandwell and Coventry between 3:30pm on Friday and 6:30am on Saturday.

The arrest comes days after tensions in Leicester have been simmering for "months" according to Independent MP for Leicester East Claudia Webbe.

Community faith leaders urged for "restraint" and "calm" after last weekend's trouble.

Across the community there have been repeated calls for restraint following the weekend, most recently from the Muslim Council of Britain (MCB), which said "hatred of any kind has no place in our society".

The collective leadership of many of the main Hindu and Jain temples have also appealed to all "for calm in the city".