LONDON, Feb 13: British military police have made an arrest in connection with a probe into video footage apparently showing British troops abusing civilians in Iraq, the defence ministry said on Monday.

A ministry spokesman told AFP that the arrest was made on Sunday ‘in conjunction with this investigation’ but declined to say where it took place or confirm whether the person was a serving soldier.

“The RMP (Royal Military Police) investigation into these extremely serious allegations is at very early stage,” the spokesman said.

The ministry has ordered an ‘urgent investigation’ into the video which aired on British television on Sunday after the mass-circulation tabloid, News of the World, broke the story and showed photo stills.

Troops appear dragging four young civilians off a street and into an army compound where they were punched, kicked and hit with batons.

The video tape — thought to have been made in 2004 during street riots in southern Iraq — is said to show a minute’s worth of the attack, with 42 blows counted.

The News of the World said that the scenes were filmed by a corporal who can be heard egging on his colleagues — described by the mass-circulation tabloid as ‘a rogue squad of British soldiers’.

The News of the World claimed the video’s cameraman could be heard laughing and using swear words.—AFP