Russell Simmons - Russell Simmons Delays Plans To Talk To London Riot Ringleaders

The city has seen its worst riots in 20 years following the fatal shooting of a 29-year-old man in Tottenham, north London on Thursday (04Aug11). A protest against his death sparked violence across London, with hundreds of teen thugs taking to the street to loot stores, set buildings ablaze and clash with police.

Simmons has been watching the footage from his home and office in America, and was eager to jet over to London and speak to the troubled youths behind the violence in a bid to ease community tensions.

On his Twitter.com page, he writes, "May be Going to london. I'm only coming to help promote peace. Waiting to see whether I can help in england.??"

He later decided to "assess the situation" on Wednesday (09Jul11) before booking a flight.

Simmons added, "we R not going 2 London 2nite. Will assess the situation 2morrow & figure out a game plan."