The man who tweeted about confronting a Muslim after the Brussels attacks was arrested and kept in jail overnight
A man has been arrested on suspicion of inciting racial hatred after allegedly posting a tweet about confronting a Muslim woman in the aftermath of the Brussels attacks, the BBC reports.
The tweet, which was posted on Wednesday morning but has since been deleted, read: "I confronted a Muslim woman yesterday in Croydon. I asked her to explain Brussels. She said 'Nothing to do with me'. A mealy mouthed reply."
A 46-year-old male was arrested in Croydon on Wednesday night and remains in custody in a south London police station, the Metropolitan Police told Business Insider in an emailed statement on Thursday morning.
"A 46-year-old man was arrested at his home address in Croydon on Wednesday, March 23 on suspicion of inciting racial hatred on social media. He was taken to a south London police station, where he still remains in custody. Enquiries continue."
According to the BBC, The Met would not confirm whether the arrest related to the tweet which went viral or to other comments posted online by the user.
The tweet was posted on Wednesday morning after multiple terrorist attacks on Tuesday took the lives of at least 31 people and injured around 300 more in the Belgian capital of Brussels. ISIS has since claimed responsibility for the attacks.
The post, which resulted in Croydon becoming a worldwide trend on Twitter, was mocked on social media.