Stars of the X Factor are being given extra security after a radical Islamic cleric hit out at the show, according to The Sun newspaper.

Omar Bakri, who left Britain for Lebanon after the July 2005 bombings, said watching the ITV show was a "form of hatred".

Anti terror police were last night helping producers of the talent show to boost security at Fountain Studios in Wembley, North London, where the X Factor is filmed, The Sun reports.

Bakri is said to have told followers in a recording on a Muslim website that the show is releasing a record in support of British troops and their families and that: "Some Muslims in Birmingham are wearing the armbands in support of British troops in Afghanistan. This is a form of muadaat [hatred] of the kuffar [non-believers] against the Muslims . . . and it has dangerous implications."

He added: "Even watching the show – those people are committing a form, a type, of muadaat. And that action is a form of kufr [non-belief]."

Following the online posting, extra security precautions have been taken, including plans for X-ray scans and a police presence on Saturday, when the finalists will perform the single, according to The Sun.

"We called in officers from Scotland Yard because of genuine safety fears. We are in the process of discussing extra security measures for Saturday night's live show," a source told the paper.

A Scotland Yard spokesman said: "We are aware of the recording and it will be assessed to see if any offences have been committed."

Simon Cowell, one of the X Factor's panel of judges, already has his own bodyguard The Sun reports. The other judges, Dannii Minogue, Cheryl Cole and Louis Walsh, are protected by a guard on the show.

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