Four terror suspects arrested in Manchester
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Four North African men were arrested yesterday on suspicion of being part of an al-Qa'ida network developing chemical weapons in Britain. The suspects, all in their thirties, were arrested during raids in Manchester and taken to London for questioning by Scotland Yard's anti-terrorist branch.
The men, who are understood to include Algerians, are being linked to the alleged terrorist network that was responsible for producing ricin poison in a flat in Wood Green, north London.
The arrests were made as a result of intelligence obtained after the raid in Manchester 15 days ago in which the Special Branch officer Stephen Oake was stabbed to death. Information leading to yesterday's operation came from MI5 and the anti-terrorist branch, although the arrests are not connected to the officer's death.
Special Branch officers, police from Greater Manchester tactical aid unit and the anti-terrorist branch, arrested three of the men – aged 30, 32 and 35 – during raids on flats in the Hulme and Bury areas at about 5am. A fourth man, aged 31, was arrested at about 11am at a house in Stretford.
The head of Manchester's community affairs, Chief Superintendent Tony Porter, said the city was "no stranger" to terrorism and the implications of having "such extremism in its midst". He added: "Extremism and terrorism are facts of modern life and the police have the task of not only tackling this type of threat but, equally, those who aim to exploit the feelings of uncertainty and insecurity that such activities create. Be assured that Greater Manchester Police has the experience, expertise and commitment to deal with this threat."
People in Hulme, where two unarmed policemen stood on guard outside the scene of one of the arrests, a 12-storey block of flats overlooking one of the busiest roads into Manchester city centre, spoke of their surprise at the arrests. Nanda Maisuria, 50, a shopkeeper, said: "I'm really shocked and of course I am very worried. I have been here for 30 years and never had any problems. People come and go around here and keep themselves to themselves so I guess it would be easy to move in and go unnoticed."
Anthony Patten, a 31-year-old cleaner, said the area was typical of any inner city. "It has got its good points and bad points, more bad than good. There are people coming and going all the time. You don't know what goes on behind closed doors."
A man who lives next door to the raided flat in Bury said he thought the inhabitants had been living there for about five months. "They kept themselves to themselves I only knew them to say hello to. They were fairly quiet [and] they would come in at around 1am or sometimes 11pm."
Detective Constable Oake was killed on 14 January, during an anti-terrorism raid in the city. DC Oake, 40, a plain-clothes officer with three children, died in hospital. His funeral was attended by the Prime Minister and more than 1,000 mourners on Saturday.