Posted on 09/02/2006 4:23:20 AM PDT by Clive
LONDON, U.K. -- Police have arrested 14 people in anti-terrorism raids around London, saying Saturday they suspected the men had been involved in training and recruiting for terror.
The arrests late Friday and early Saturday were not linked to the alleged plot to bomb trans-Atlantic airliners or to the July 2005 bomb attacks on London's transport network, the capital's Metropolitan Police said. They declined to give details of what the suspects were believed to have done, other than saying they were arrested as part of an investigation into terror training and recruitment.
The raids followed months of surveillance and investigation, police said.
The 14 people, arrested on suspicion of the commission, preparation or instigation of acts of terrorism, were being held in central London, police said. Officers were searching an unspecified number of homes around the capital, they added.
Twelve of the arrests were made at a south London halal Chinese restaurant, the British Broadcasting Corp. said. About 40 officers raided the restaurant shortly after 10 p.m. Friday, when it was packed with diners, the BBC said. Police would not comment on that report.
In Manchester, northern England, police said they had arrested two people in an anti-terror investigation unrelated to the one in London. They said they had searched three houses in the Cheetham Hill area of the city and made the arrests at around 6 a.m.
Those actions were part of the same investigation that led to the Aug. 23 arrest of a terror suspect in Manchester and were not linked to the alleged airliner plot, police said. They declined to provide further details.
Police arrested 25 people in raids on Aug. 9-10 in an alleged plot to bomb as many as 10 planes flying from Britain to America. Fifteen of those have since been charged, five have been released and five are being held without charge.
Peter Clarke, head of Metropolitan Police anti-terror efforts, said police and intelligence agents were now attempting to track thousands of people believed to be directly or indirectly involved in terrorism, according to comments made public Friday.
The threat from homegrown terrorism is increasing in Britain, he told the BBC in an interview to be broadcast Sept. 3, an advance transcript said.
"What we've learnt since 9/11 is that the threat is not something that's simply coming from overseas into the United Kingdom," Clarke said. "What we've learned, and what we've seen all too graphically and all too murderously, is that we have a threat which is being generated here within the United Kingdom."
Round 'em up!
"London Halal Chinese" restaurant.
Bwa-ha-ha-ha
Clive... Google News has the humber up to 16 arrested...so the arrests must be ongoing as we speak.
More coffee.
14 down ... a million to go ...
"What...no Mu Shoo Pork?"
" a south London halal Chinese restaurant
Hmmm, OK."
Am I missing something?
Ah. It's probably more likely that they just like Chinese food to be honest. Don't think that the Chicoms have too much stake in Chinese restaurants in the UK. If they do, I've been funding them to a worrying extent ;)
The what?
Ah. The melting-pot burdens of ex-empire.
Congratulations for the vigilence and hard work of our neighbors across the pond and all of their unsung heroes.
A recent conversion...
What?? No roast pork and snow peas??
You have to hand it to the Brits. They are doing something. (after yrs. of inaction)
Don't see much action on our part, and we know terrorists are here.
As is normal in terrorism, the terrorists once again turn out to be of Pakistani origin.
Pakistani orgin individuals are surely the preffered footsoilders of Jihad :
http://www.guardian.co.uk/uklatest/story/0,,-6053923,00.html
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