Police warn public not to approach man wanted after East London nightclub acid attack

London's Metropolitan Police have warned the public not to approach a man wanted in connection with a suspected acid attack which left 12 people injured at a London nightclub.

The force believes a dispute broke out between two groups of people inside the Mangle nightclub in Dalston, east London, at around 1am on Monday (17 April).

Hundreds of revellers were attending a bank holiday event when the 'noxious substance' was sprayed, some of whom were struck in the face and eyes.

In total around 20 people were sprayed with the "acidic" liquid with two men aged 24 and 29 transferred to a specialist burns hospital in Essex where they remain in a serious but stable condition.

Those victims were "directly" sprayed by an assailant at the nightclub in Sidworth Street, said the Met.

Now detectives say they want to question 25-year-old Arthur Collins and have released two images of him. The Sun Newspaper have identified the man as the boyfriend of The Only Way Is Essex (TOWIE) star Ferne McCann.

The force says they have not made any arrests as of yet but added that two other men are also wanted for questioning in connection with the incident.

Officers say they were called to the nightclub after members of the public complained of a noxious substance being sprayed inside.

In response police, the London Fire Brigade and the London Ambulance Service also attended the scene.

The Met says that CCTV images of the two further males are currently being reviewed by investigators.

A relative of Celebrity Big Brother star and ex-Premier league footballer Jamie O'Hara was among those injured according to a tweet by the former Tottenham midfielder. He tweeted a picture of his cousin, Sadie Wright calling the attack "sick".

Detective Inspector Lee McCullough from Hackney CID leads the investigation. He said: "We now have 20 people suffering from the effects of an acidic substance being sprayed in a confined space in a busy nightclub. All have burn related injuries.

"The noxious substance used has not yet been confirmed but samples retrieved from the scene have been sent for analysis. If you were there and saw anyone involved inside or leaving the nightclub, please get in touch."

Anyone who sees Collins should call 999 immediately, the Metropolitan Police said.