August 9, 2011 - 17:31 AMT
London riots: 26-year-old man dead of gunshot wounds

A man who was shot in a car during riots in London died in hospital Tuesday, August 9 from his injuries, becoming the first fatal casualty from three days of unrest in the British capital.

The 26-year-old man was found with gunshot wounds late Monday in Croydon, a south London suburb where several buildings were burned down during the riots, the Metropolitan Police said.

A Scotland Yard official says 525 people have now been arrested in London after three days of "unprecedented" rioting. More than 100 suspects had been charged since disorder had begun, AFP reported.

Violence first broke out late Saturday in the low-income, multiethnic district of Tottenham in north London, where outraged protesters demonstrated against the fatal police shooting of Mark Duggan, a 29-year-old father of four who was gunned down in disputed circumstances.

The past year has seen mass protests against the tripling of student tuition fees and cuts to public sector pensions. In November, December and March, small groups broke away from large marches in London to loot.