UK apologises for anti-war protester's egging of Saudi general

The UK has issued an apology to Saudi Arabia on Sunday, after an egg from an anti-war protester landed on a senior Saudi military official during a visit to London, according to Saudi state media.

UK Foreign Secretary Boris Johnson called Deputy Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman, son of the Saudi king and the country's defence minister, to apologise for "the attack on General Ahmed Assiri, counsellor to the prince, by protestors", the state-run SPA news agency said.

Assiri told AFP he had been "subject to aggression" by protestors critical of Riyadh's military operations in Yemen.

Last week, a video posted on Twitter showed anti-war activist Sam Walton approaching Assiri, putting his hand on the general's shoulder and announcing he was placing him under citizen's arrest.

Walton can be heard saying, "I'm placing you under citizen's arrest for war crimes in Yemen", before being pushed back by security.

Civilians in the UK are permitted to arrest anyone suspected of committing an indictable offence.

Another protestor followed Assiri's security detail to the entrance of a building, where he threw an egg that hit the general in the back. The video showed Assiri turning around and giving the protestor the finger.

Rights groups have harshly criticised Saudi Arabia over its military action in Yemen, where thousands of civilians have been killed in the two years since Riyadh intervened against Houthi rebels.

Last month, Amnesty International condemned Britain for transferring arms to Saudi Arabia, saying Yemeni civilians continued to "pay the price".

The London-based rights group described the transfers as a "shameful contradiction" of UK aid efforts in Yemen.