Armed police arrest 15 over murders

The two men were killed within hours of each other

Fifteen men suspected of being involved in two murders have been arrested by armed police in east London and Essex.

Officers backed up by members of the Metropolitan Police's SO19 firearms unit searched two addresses in Barkingside and Ilford at 0400 BST on Monday.

It follows the murders of two young Sri Lankan Tamil men, within hours of each other in north London on 8 June.

Partheepan Balasinghan, 23, died after he was attacked by a gang of men outside a restaurant in Wembley, north-west London, at 0100 BST.

One hour later, 18-year-old Cisho Kumar Balachandiran was found sitting in a river in Wanstead, east London, with serious injuries to the head and body. He died later in hospital.

Weapons found

Earlier that evening he had been involved in a fight between two gangs at the Icon Bar in Ilford.

Both murders are being investigated by the Specialist Crime Directorate.

The 15 men arrested are all in their late teens or early twenties and are being questioned at three police stations.

Police found several weapons which will now be tested by forensic experts.