London Riots: 4 Ghanaians Arrested, 3 Charged

Authorities in Britain are holding at least three men with Ghanaian sounding names in connection with the ongoing troubles in the country. They are Nana Asante, 19, James Antwi, David Attoh, both 18, and Ohene Bamfo, 20. James Antwi has been charged with assaulting a police officer, damaging a police car and violent disorder. Matthew Golby, prosecuting, told Camberwell Green Magistrates Court that Antwi was part of a group of men on bicycles that surrounded a police car in Horseford Road, Brixton. Mr Golby said: "He arrived at the police vehicle on his bicycle and used his pedal to smash against the car. "The defendant went to the driver's side and attempted to pull open the door of the vehicle. "He was wearing a distinctive white top and police have been able to trace him as he headed up Brixton Hill." Antwi, of Stockwell, South London, who is in his third year of a Sports and Leisure qualification at Clapham College, did not enter a plea. District Judge Tanweer Ikram denied an application for bail. He was remanded in custody to reappear on August 17. 20 year old Ohene Bamfo was hauled before a Croydon Magistrate Court Westnesday on charges of theft and rioting. He appeared in court along with a long line of defendants in the dock, answering charges of robbery, theft and violent disorder relating to Monday night. Bamfo pleaded not guilty to two counts of robbery, theft from a person and violent disorder. IT student Attoh, of Hackney, who had just completed a BTEC at Hackney Community College and is due to start an apprenticeship, pleaded guilty to theft. He was caught with Burberry T-shirts but magistrates let him off because he had already served two days in custody and warned him not to get into trouble again. Nana Asante, 19, who recently started work as a steward at an outdoor opera venue in the upmarket London district of Holland Park, reportedly pleaded not guilty to looting a supermarket in the capital. Authorities say more than a thousand people have been arrested in connection with the troubles on the streets of England. It is suspected that more Ghanaians are involved in the riots; most of the arrested rioters are from the black community.