Anti-terror arrests 'necessary'

The arrest of 12 suspects in four cities over fears they were preparing to launch an attack was “absolutely necessary” in the circumstances, the country’s top counter terrorism officer has said.

Unarmed officers from four forces swooped on homes in London, Stoke-on-Trent, Birmingham and Cardiff at 5am. The raids came after several months of surveillance and monitoring by police and MI5 officers.

Metropolitan Police Assistant Commissioner John Yates revealed it was “absolutely vital” that the public remained vigilant.

Mr Yates said: “Earlier today, police arrested 12 men in a pre-planned, intelligence-led national counter-terrorism operation. The men, from the London, Stoke and Cardiff areas, are aged between 17 and 28.

“They were all arrested under the Terrorism Act 2000 on suspicion of the commission, co-operation and instigation of acts of terrorism. They are currently in custody at three separate police stations across the country where they will be interviewed over the coming days.

“We are also searching a large number of premises and I expect that these searches will take some time to complete. The operation is in its early stages so I am unable to go into any detail at this time as I do not wish to say anything that may prejudice any future legal proceedings.

“However, what I would say is that with the current threat level in the UK at severe and with the information we have, I believe today’s arrests were absolutely necessary in order to keep the public safe.”

Home Secretary Theresa May said the UK faces “a real and serious threat from terrorism” and thanked the police and security service for keeping the country safe.

“I have been kept fully informed about the police operation that has resulted in 12 arrests,” she said. “For obvious reasons it is not appropriate for me to comment further at this early stage of what could be a complex and lengthy investigation.

“We know we face a real and serious threat from terrorism and I would like to thank the police and security service for working to keep our country safe.”