London, Aug 9 (IANS) Police have vowed to hunt down the thugs who used social media to organise the riots in London, a media report said Tuesday.

Detectives called in forensic computer experts to trace the accounts of thugs using Twitter and BlackBerry Messenger.

Both services have been used to co-ordinate attacks on police and announce meeting points and targets for rioters and looters, The Sun newspaper reported.

Police warned that thugs who fanned the flames of violence will be tracked down and will face hefty prison terms.

Countless looters also posted messages openly bragging about their hauls. One idiot even uploaded a photo of himself behind DVDs, electrical goods and muscle-building supplements, the newspaper said.

Police vowed to release CCTV images of the violence, and urged the public to help them identify the thugs.

Scotland Yard's Deputy Assistant Commissioner Steve Kavanagh confirmed police are looking into Twitter and Blackberry's instant messaging service.

He said many messages were "inflammatory" and "inaccurate" and warned that users face arrest if they encourage looters or co-ordinate attacks.

Groups of thieves hell-bent on grabbing mobile phones, TVs, games consoles and clothes used social media to agree on their targets.