SEVENTEEN men have been arrested in connection with the murders of two Tamil men four weeks ago.

Most were picked up in dawn raids on Monday by officers from Scotland Yard's specialist crime directorate, assisted by the firearms unit on two addresses in Barkingside and Ilford, and two were arrested later the same day. Weapons were also seized.

The men are all believed to be in their late teens or early-20s and of Tamil origin.

The murder victims were killed within about two hours of each other on June 8. Partheepan Balasingham, 23, from Wembley, was murdered outside the Palm Beach restaurant in Ealing Road, Wembley, at 1am.

Police believe his killers drove to Ilford and carried out a second attack on Kishokumar Balachandiran, 18, from Stanmore.

Five of the men were still in custody yesterday (Wednesday) and the rest had been released on police bail until August.