Tourists held after 'disturbed burglar' falls from hotel room

He is fighting for his life after plunging face first on to the pavement from the second-floor window of the building in Victoria.

Five men, all of whom are believed to be tourists and guests at the hotel, are being interviewed by police. "Two men have been arrested and are being held at a central London police station," a Scotland Yard spokeswoman said.

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Witnesses heard shouting and smashing noises from the top floor of the building just before the man fell at 6pm last night.

The man is believed to have been disturbed by two Italian guests returning to their room at the Cedar Guest House in Hugh Street.

Detectives are trying to establish if the intruder fell trying to escape or was pushed during a struggle. The police spokeswoman would not confirm the man was a burglar but said it was one of several lines of inquiry.

The victim, who is in his 20s, suffered severe head injuries and is in a critical condition at the Royal London hospital.

Jay Barrymore, 23, the first person on the scene, said he noticed a large gash on the back of the man's head - from a "heavy blow" - even though he landed face-first. The financial analyst, who works nearby, added: "I saw a silhouette tumble out of the window on the top floor and I thought, 'God, what has happened here?' I thought it was a practical joke or workmen throwing something out of the window.

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"I ran towards the building and there was this guy there on the ground bleeding very heavily. He was unconscious - I didn't think he was alive."

He said the man's trousers were halfway down his leg and he only had one shoe on.

Technical officer Clive Alexander, 47, of Edmonton, who was walking along Wilton Road at the time, said: "As I was walking past some guy came flying out of the window. There seemed to be some form of fight, as I could hear yelling. It happened very fast."

Personal trainer Galwyn Maratou, 25, who lives on Hugh Street, saw the man unconscious on the ground.

He said: "There had been a fight. I just saw this guy was on the ground with blood everywhere. He was really messed up. The place seemed to be being smashed up."

The Cedar Guest House refused to comment.