West Ham fan arrested on landing

A man believed to be a West Ham supporter has been arrested after footage emerged of West Ham fans chanting an antisemitic song at an Orthodox Jewish passenger on board a Ryanair aircraft.

Essex Police have tonight confirmed a 55-year-old was detained on suspicion of a hate crime at Stansted Airport on Friday, as he stepped off a flight from Belgium.

The suspect has been taken to a police station in the county for questioning.

The footage was condemned by the club, which said it would issue an indefinite ban to any fan identified.

Board of Deputies president Marie van der Zyl said it had been “a particularly horrible example of a Jewish man being subjected to abuse and humiliation.”

Essex Police Chief Superintendent Tom Simons said: “Essex Police will not tolerate racism or discrimination of any kind.”

“Having been made aware of the incident this morning, officers worked quickly to secure an arrest at the earliest possible opportunity.”

Police said their investigation was ongoing and appealed for anyone who has information or who may have phone footage of the incident to contact them by calling 101.