Man pictured in 'Isis flag' near Big Ben and Houses of Parliament in London

The man was not arrested as carrying an flag is not an offence in itself

(LiveLeak)

Police have confronted a man draped in what appeared to be an Isis flag, as he walked past the Houses of Parliament with a young child on his shoulders waving a miniature version of the parchment.

Startling images of the incident shows the man walking past a group of scouts with a black flag around his shoulders as he carries a flag-waving young child dressed in pink.

The photos were taken by a tourist and posted on a Korean web forum, according to the Evening Standard.

Police officers spoke to the man, but he was not arrested as carrying a flag or emblem in itself is not an offence.

A spokesman for the Metropolitan Police told The Independent: “This man was spoken to by officers, with consideration given to relevant legislation, particularly the Public Order Act, and the decision was taken by officers at the time that the man was acting within the law. He was not arrested.”

Asked whether officers were thought the flag was that of the extremist group Isis, he said it “certainly” appeared so.

The incident comes just days before the UK will mark the 10th anniversary of the 7/7 bombings carried out by Islamic extremists, which killed 52 people on 7 July, 2005.

Shocked Twitter users reacted with disbelief.

One user called Gavin ‏tweeted: “Why are we allowing this to happen on our streets a man walking past big ben with an ISIS flag.”

Another called the incident "absolutely shocking."