Met police release pictures of men they want to speak to following attack on Manchester United team bus on Tuesday

This article is more than 4 years old

This article is more than 4 years old

Four men are being sought by police investigating the attack on the Manchester United team bus before a Premier League game on Tuesday night.

The Metropolitan police have released pictures of the men they would like to speak to in connection with the disorder, which left four policemen injured.

Photograph: Metropolitan police/PA

Photograph: Metropolitan police/PA

Bottles and other objects were thrown at the coach as it made its way to West Ham United’s Boleyn Ground in east London.

Photograph: Metropolitan police/PA

Video footage posted online appeared to show the Manchester United players, including Jesse Lingard and Michael Carrick, pretending to cower as missiles were pelted at the windows.

A 20-year-old man arrested for throwing bottles at police officers has been bailed to a date in August, while two men, aged 18 and 47, arrested for pitch incursion have been bailed until later this month.

West Ham have vowed to hand out life bans to any fan found responsible for the disorder.

Commander BJ Harrington of the Met’s public order team said: “Behaviour of the kind we saw before Tuesday’s match is totally unacceptable. The vast majority of people were well-behaved, but we are looking to deal with a small minority of individuals who committed criminal acts.

“We are working closely with both clubs to bring these individuals to justice, and I would urge anyone who recognises the men in these pictures to contact police.

“This was always going to be a challenging match to police, with passions running high. Aware of those challenges, we had more officers on duty than is normal. I am proud of my officers who did a fantastic job in difficult circumstances and played their part in enabling those supporters who respected the occasion to enjoy what was a historic event.”