THE laughing Brit teens who mocked the murder of George Floyd in a Snapchat video have been arrested on suspicion of committing a hate crime.

The pranksters and their families are also reportedly under police protection after the teens received death threats for mocking Mr Floyd's death at the hands of police.

Floyd died last Monday in Minneapolis after a white police officer held him down by pressing a knee into his neck.

His death has sparked riots across America and led to furious protests across the globe – including London.

The teens, aged 18 and 19, caused outrage when the photo of them recreating how the unarmed 46-year-old died went viral.

They posted the grinning Snapchat video last week, along with the caption: "Police brutality".

After it went viral, all three were identified and quickly closed or deleted all their social media profiles.

Their families reportedly started receiving death threats – which led to them allegedly receiving police protection.

A source, who went to school with the trio from Gateshead, said: "It's all blown up in their faces and they've received death threats.

"They were arrested on Sunday night and have had their phones taken off them and everything.

"It has turned into a witch hunt and they've had some really nasty threats – some of which have been targeted at their families which isn't right at all.

"It was a sick joke but they don't deserve to die. The police know about it and are protecting them against any vigilante attacks."

A Northumbria Police spokesperson confirmed they were investigating.

They said: "We can confirm we are investigating after an image was shared on social media which showed two men imitating the recent death of US citizen George Floyd.

"An investigation was launched and yesterday (Sunday) officers arrested two males aged 19 and another male aged 18 on suspicion of sending communications causing anxiety and distress.

"They have since been released on bail. We understand that this social media post has caused significant upset and we want to reassure the public it is being investigated robustly and is being treated as a hate crime."

They refused to comment on claims they were receiving police protection.

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