Radio host Maajid Nawaz has thanked the passers-by who consoled him after he was "racially attacked" outside a London theatre.

The LBC presenter, who is a panellist on Sky News' The Pledge, posted a picture of his badly cut face on Facebook following the incident on Monday evening.

Image: The wound was glued up and he is now resting

He wrote: "Tonight I was racially attacked while alone outside Soho theatre, from behind, as I bent down to pick up my phone, which had dropped to the floor.

"The white male assailant called me a "f****g p*** as he hit me in the face with some kind of signet ring and ran away like a coward.

"He took nothing. He was just a racist."


Image: Mr Nawaz posted a picture of his injury on his Facebook page

Mr Nawaz, who is the founder of counter-extremism think tank the Quilliam Foundation, said witnesses who heard the racial abuse had given statements and police have the attacker's face on CCTV.

He added: "My forehead will probably be scarred for life. But we will find you, you racist coward, and you will face British justice."

This morning, he posted an update on his Facebook page in which he thanked the two passers-by who helped him and then gave police statements.

He also named Stefanie Powell in his thank you message, as the Hawksmoor Seven Dials manager who bandaged his head while it was still bleeding.

And the top tweet from #ThePledge season eight is... @MaajidNawaz reveals he found the soldier who saved his life 25 years later pic.twitter.com/euKFBqxVlm — The Pledge (@ThePledge) December 27, 2018

He added: "Some on the far-left are already politicising this attack on social media by making it about how my centrist views somehow 'legitimise right wing hate'.

"Some on the far-right are callously casting doubt on the fact that this racist attack even happened (apparently referencing an American actor called Jussie Smollet?).

"Some Islamists online are openly celebrating this attack, wishing the racist had 'finished the job'."

Smollet is an American actor who says he was racially attacked despite police releasing two suspects without charge and saying they want to interview Smollet about the incident again.

Image: The radio host shared an update after some treatment

Mr Nawaz added: "People from all ethnicities and all faiths and none helped me yesterday. It's in that spirit that I wish to carry on my work.

"I do not wish to harbour hate for my attacker. I've already been down that path at a younger age, and I have seen how it leads to nothing good."

The Metropolitan Police said they were called to a report of a racially aggravated assault at 7.10pm.

The suspect had fled the scene before officers arrived, no arrests have been made and an investigation has been launched, the force said.