Three men have been arrested and released on bail by police investigating an assault on the Guardian columnist and activist Owen Jones in Islington, north London, earlier this month.

The Metropolitan police said three men aged 29, 34 and 39 were detained in connection with the incident after attending a police station in north London.

The force said the three were arrested on suspicion of violent disorder and assault occasioning actual bodily harm and were in custody.

Scotland Yard said they had been bailed until late September and that a file had been passed to the Crown Prosecution Service.

Jones, 35, was celebrating his birthday with friends at the time of the incident. The attack was condemned by the Guardian editor, Katharine Viner, and the Labour leader, Jeremy Corbyn.

After the incident, Jones thanked his friends “who were assaulted defending me and who I love very much”.

The Met said: “At around 0200hrs on Saturday 17 August, a man aged in his 30s was approached outside the Lexington public house on Pentonville Road, N1.

“The man was assaulted by four male suspects. When the victim’s friends attempted to intervene, they were also assaulted. None of those injured required hospital treatment or London ambulance service.”