May Day anarchists sought by the yard; Met steps up hunt for rioters in bid to stop rerun of last year's violent clashes.

Byline: NIGEL ROSSER;JUSTIN DAVENPORT

Scotland Yard is engaged in one of its biggest operations yet to prevent rioting on the streets of London on 1 May. All leave is cancelled and 5,000 officers will be on the streets.Yet, a year on, detectives are still hunting for anarchists suspected of being at the centre of the violence and damage at the 2000 riots. The people pictured here have still to be caught - and police believe they are planning a repeat of May Day anarchy. Nigel Rosser and Justin Davenport report

THESE are the faces of London's most wanted suspects in the massive Scotland Yard operation to avert rioting during this year's May Day demonstrations.

Twenty-four missing anarchists are believed to have been at the heart of the disorder during last year's May Day protest and police fear they are planning to return to cause trouble at this year's event.

They were caught on camera apparently smashing shops, daubing graffiti or throwing missiles.

Despite public appeals, Special Branch surveillance and abortive police raids, they have evaded Scotland Yard for months as detectives search for them in an investigation codenamed randomly by computer Operation Riley-hill.

They are all wanted for offences of violent disorder and criminal damage to national monuments after Winston Churchill's statue and the Cenotaph were daubed with graffiti, causing national outrage.

Dubbed "Rent-A-Mob" by one senior officer, they are believed to be plotting more mayhem at this year's protest.

Their pictures have been circulated to patrol officers and their details sent to police forces across Britain.

In the past year police have tracked down and arrested around 130 protesters including a former Eton schoolboy who was sentenced to six months' detention at a young offenders' centre. Two other rioters received two-year jail sentences for violent disorder.

Det Ch Insp Jim Dickie, who is leading the Yard's operation, said: "We strongly suspect these people were involved in the disorder and the criminal offences committed in central London in May last year.

"We cannot discount the possibility they are involved in this year's event and if they are seen this year they will be arrested on sight. The quality of the evidence we have gained has been very good and most people have pleaded guilty. The courts have taken a very robust view."

Many of those sought by police are believed to be foreign - at least three men pictured here are members of Turkish communist organisations that sprayed graffiti and wreaked havoc along Whitehall last May - and many more are believed to be "awayday" rioters - anarchists living outside London who travelled in to cause damage.

On one day last year seven out of 11 people who appeared at court charged with offences at the riot held foreign passports.

Several were seen at the heart of the attacks on Downing Street and Whitehall when more than [pound]500,000 of damage was done and a branch of McDonald's destroyed.

Last year's riots were largely contained by police in Trafalgar Square and Parliament Square where because the area - at the heart of the British establishment - was so well guarded, thousands of photographs and miles of video footage of rioters were taken. This allowed police to identify and mop up many of them in the weeks following the attacks.

But not these suspects. And now police believe they are on their way back to London to join in the protests next week.

Many are believed to be of no fixed abode, either living in squats or at established protest camps at airports or proposed roads.

Foreign rioters may even have fled abroad, returning to Britain only to carry out high-profile, attention-grabbing stunts.

MANY of the Turkish comm u n i s t s involved in last year's riot are believed to have come from Germany.

The Turkish demonstrators figured prominently on the attacks on Downing Street and the pictures were flashed all over the world, much to the annoyance of the Turkish government.

One anarchist said: "It is the perfect forum for them to get publicity for their causes.

That is why we want other immigrant groups and asylum seekers to join in this year.

Their presence last year was a surprise but brought a lot of impetus to the agitation."

Anarchist groups - encouraged by the trail of destruction left by the Turkish communists last year - are already targeting firms involved in the deportation of asylum seekers, like Lufthansa and Group 4 Security, in an attempt to whip up support among immigrant groups.

Cards bearing the names of approved solicitors are being published and advice on what to say and do during police questioning is widely circulated on the internet.

Hardcore protesters, like the suspects on these pages, are already devising ways to make the police's job more difficult on May Day.

Aware police have the powers to make people remove any masks or face arrest, some demonstrators are being encouraged to disguise their faces with paint, or with wigs. Some are even suggesting dressing as Muslim women or orthodox Jewish rabbis in an attempt to avoid arrest.

Legal advice circulated to people attending the demonstration this year includes demanding that police officers supply anyone they photograph with a copy of the picture under legislation in the Data Protection Act, which covers the digital cameras police use.

This would force any police photographer to take down details of the person they have photographed and send them a copy of the picture, wasting valuable time and slowing up police resources.

An anarchist close to the leadership said: "Everyone has learned from last year when the police said Trafalgar Square 'was like a zoo', when demonstrators were trapped there. We are better prepared and better informed this time."

Police have declared a "zero tolerance" approach to any criminal acts at this year's event, which is expected to be attended by a hard core of around 1,000 activists.

A Scotland Yard spokesman said: "Anyone with any information about these people should call the incident room in office hours on 020 7321 9251 or Crimestoppers on 0800 555 111."