Police are appealing for calm after a dummy of terrorist Osama bin Laden was hung from a bridge over a busy road.

The stuffed image was daubed with the slogan 'Kill Bin Laden' and 'Nuke' in full view of motorists.

The Guy Fawkes-style dummy was found hanging from a pedestrian bridge in South Shields, South Tyneside, on the same day as an arson attack on a mosque in the town.

Officers were called out early on Saturday morning after motorists reported a body hanging from a pedestrian bridge.

This comes after thugs torched a mosque in a race hate reprisal following the terrorist attack on America.

And in another racist attack, graffiti was daubed on walls urging people to "Avenge USA - Kill A Muslim Now".

Members of the Muslim community are living in fear of further attacks after arsonists struck at their religious centre in South Shields, South Tyneside.

Police are now working closely with leaders of the ethnic community in a bid to ensure their safety.

The arsonists struck at the front door of the mosque at around 10.15pm on Saturday in the Laygate area of the town.

Firefighters put out the blaze. Damage was minor and was confined to the front door - but police are treating the attack as serious.

Mosque members revealed it was the second time the centre was targeted. But the first fire attempt failed.

This attack has left members fearing further reprisals. Yashir Abdo, 67, said: "People are frightened this is going to get out of control.

"Other people have been targeted and we want people to understand that in no way do we support or condone what happened in America.

"What happened in America was an outrage. The people who did this are not human.

"This is not Islam. Islam is about peace not mass destruction. We do not believe in this. These are extremists. Their views are not ours.

"We've been part of the community here for many years without trouble. This has all started since the attacks on the US.

"Most people understand that we are as outraged as the rest of the world, but some people are ignorant and we fear further attacks from those people."

It comes after an MP appealed for calm after graffiti was daubed on walls urging people to "Avenge USA - Kill a Muslim Now".

The 6ft high, 8ft wide anti-Islamic hatred slogan was splashed in red letters on a wall not far from a mosque in the heart of the Muslim community.

Daubed on a white wall - the slogan has been condemned, but is an example of the rising tension in Britain as the West prepares for War.

Community leaders condemned the slogan and Labour MP David Miliband urged the community to unite to prevent the "outrage" from turning to "hatred".

In another incident, a 20-year-old Bangladeshi man was beaten and kicked by a gang of youths and needed an emergency operation for a broken jaw.

He was attacked as he was walking through Bents Park at 8.30pm on September 15. He was left in a pool of blood and was rushed to the town's General Hospital.

He was later transferred to a specialist unit at Sunderland Royal Hospital where he underwent a series of operations to rebuild his jaw.

While police would not directly link the attack to the US terrorist atrocities, they say it was racially motivated.

The attacks in South Tyneside follow a spate of reprisals throughout the country.

South Tyneside police chief, Superintendent Dave Crosthwaite, warned the full force of the law will be used to combat racially motivated crimes against the Borough's Muslims.

He said: "We have been in constant contact with community leaders since the situation in America began.

"We need to reassure them, and the people of South Tyneside, that we are monitoring the situation and watching out for any signs of incidents of this nature.

"If anybody is stupid enough to take action of this kind, then we will vigorously follow matters up and bring people before the courts.

"But I hope that people will not treat this as an opportunity to attack members of the Muslim community."