Anti-terror police arrest three (UK)(at Gatwick Airport)

BBC News ^ | Saturday, 18 January, 2003, 15:38 GMT | BBC News

[colette_g]

Three men have been arrested by anti-terrorist police after being stopped at Gatwick airport. The men aged 28, 29 and 30 were detained by immigration officials at the airport while "in transit" on Thursday at 1400GMT, Scotland Yard said.

Officers from Scotland Yard's anti-terrorism branch with their Sussex police colleagues arrested the men under the Terrorism Act 2000, at 1900 GMT on Friday.

They are currently in custody at a central London police station.

'No links'

The arrests are not believed to be linked to the counter-terrorism raid in Manchester on Tuesday in which Special Branch officer Stephen Oake was fatally stabbed.

Nor are they thought to be connected to the investigation into the discovery of the poison ricin in London.

A 27-year-old man was remanded in custody on Friday charged with the murder of Detective Constable Oake during the anti-terrorism operation.

He was also charged with the attempted murders of four other officers.

Scotland Yard has refused to disclose any further details about Friday's airport arrests, including information about the men's ethnic origin and whether they were leaving or arriving in Britain at the time they were stopped.

The men can be held for seven days under the terms of the Terrorism Act before being charged

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[piasa]

fyi

[SLB]

My daughter flew in to Gatwick on Thursday. She landed at 10:00 GMT. We have talked to her twice since then and she has not mentioned anything about "excitement" at the airport.

[canuck_conservative]

Are they North Africans, perhaps?

[Dog]

FYI...

[aculeus]

Bump.

[Cap Huff]

This reminds me of those two Yemeni guys who were nabbed in Frankfurt near the airport. Perhaps some sort of sting operation.

[Angelus Errare]

Any word on the perps' ethnicity?

My money says they're Algerians.

[Dog]

Did you hear about the guy in Kuwait that was arrested? Turns out he was an Iraqi agent.....who meet with the Iraqi Yemen ambassador.....he was planning on killing the Kuwaiti FM..

Saddam is up to his old tricks it seems..

[Dog]

HERE!

[Angelus Errare]

Keep in mind that whatever Hussein's relationship with al-Qaeda (and I think it's more of a quid pro quo tactical alliance than anything else), he still has the Abu Nidal Organization at his beck and call, as well as the Mujahideen-e-Khalq, the Iranian communist organization. I imagine he can do a fair amount of damage to his neighbors on that alone.

[squarebarb]

just flew out of Gatwick Wednesday, security was so tight as to be , well, tight.

[squarebarb]

just flew out of Gatwick Wednesday, security was so tight as to be , well, tight.

[Travis McGee]

Can anyone explain to me the societal value added of bringing muslims into the west?

[piasa]

There wouldn't be excitement, since these types of arrests are generally very discrete. Remember Jose' Padilla? He was arrested at the airport in Chicago and no one knew about in for many weeks, until it was announced.