Scotland Yard's race row erupted again yesterday after the head of the National Black Police Association, Commander Ali Dizaei, was suspended from duty for allegedly wasting police time, perverting the course of justice, assault and unlawful arrest.
Dizaei is a close adviser to the force's assistant commissioner, Tarique Ghaffur, who is suing the Met for racial discrimination, and who was suspended last week.
Dizaei's supporters reacted to the news by accusing the Met of a "witch hunt".
He was suspended yesterday at the offices of the Metropolitan Police Authority and given the news by its chief executive, Catherine Crawford.
The main reason for the suspension is said to be an arrest he made outside a West London restaurant after he was allegedly assaulted by a man. Dizaei says he was approached by a man who shouted at him and then attacked him with the mouthpiece of a sheesha pipe. He arrested the man who has now made a complaint that is being investigated by the Independent Police Complaints Authority.
Dizaei was also suspended because of claims that he gave advice to a solicitor whose client was being prosecuted after a case brought by the Met, and because of allegations concerning the use of a police credit card.
Dizaei was previously suspended in 2001, when the force alleged he was a danger to national security, had consorted with prostitutes and taken illegal drugs. He was cleared unanimously by an Old Bailey jury after a £4m inquiry involving covert surveillance and undercover surveillance teams. The unit that investigated him then was headed by Sir Ian Blair, who is now the commissioner of the Met.
Blair's allies insist that their treatment of Dizaei has not been not influenced by the fact that he is a vocal and persistent critic of the Met's record on race. But Alfred John, chairman of the Metropolitan Black Police Association, said: "Without doubt it is a witch hunt. It is an attempt to destabilise our movement. It is a farce."
The Metropolitan police authority said it had unanimously decided to suspend Dizaei, adding: "Suspension is not a disciplinary sanction and suspension should not be taken as a presumption of guilt."
Last year the Met apologised to Dizaei for putting him on trial at the Old Bailey, and for aspects of the £4m inquiry. After his acquittal, he was reinstated and paid compensation.
He won promotion earlier this year to the rank of commander and oversaw the operation which led to the barrister Mark Saunders being shot dead after allegedly firing at police and neighbouring homes.
As the NBPA's head, Dizaei was planning further protest action against the Met over its treatment of Ghaffur.