Police granted more time to quiz four men over suspected terror plot
Police have been granted more time to quiz four men arrested in different parts of the country over a suspected terror plot.
The four men, aged between 19 and 23, were held on Monday on suspicion of the commission, preparation or instigation of an act of terror.
The raids in Manchester, Peterborough and north London were part of a pre-planned operation and were not linked to either the London Bridge terror attack last month or New Year’s Eve, the Metropolitan Police said.
Officers from the Met's Counter Terrorism Command along with colleagues from the Counter Terrorism Policing North West (CTPNW) unit and the Eastern Region Special Operations Unit (ERSOU) CTP have arrested five men on suspicion of terrorism offences. https://t.co/7MOq5o0WaW
— Metropolitan Police (@metpoliceuk) December 30, 2019
In a statement on Tuesday, the Met said a warrant of further detention was applied for and granted at Westminster Magistrates’ Court so that the four men can be detained up until January 6.
A fifth man, aged 19, who was arrested in Peterborough on suspicion of encouraging terrorism, has been released on bail, the force added.
The Met said officers continue to search addresses in each area.
It added: “The arrests were part of a pre-planned operation and there is not believed to be any imminent threat to the public in relation to this.
“The arrests are not linked to the attack at Fishmongers’ Hall in London on November 29, nor the forthcoming New Year’s Eve celebrations.”
Those arrested for plotting a terror attack included a 21-year-old in Manchester, a 19-year-old in Peterborough and two men, aged 22 and 23, in north London.
