Four Iranian nationals, including a man arrested in Rochdale, can now be held in custody and questioned until Saturday (10th May) as part of a counter terrorism investigation, following the granting of warrants of further detention.
The warrants were secured by officers from the Met’s Counter Terrorism Command, which is leading the investigation, which centres on the arrest of five men suspected of preparing a terrorist act under section 5 of the Terrorism Act 2006.
Among those detained is a 40-year-old man arrested in the Rochdale area. The other three men held under terrorism powers include a 29-year-old arrested in Swindon, a 46-year-old arrested in west London, and another 29-year-old arrested in Stockport. All four remain in custody while the investigation continues.
A fifth suspect, a 24-year-old man arrested in the Manchester area, was detained under the Police and Criminal Evidence Act (PACE). He has now been released on bail, with conditions, to a date in May.
As part of the investigation, officers are also carrying out searches at a number of addresses in the Greater Manchester, London and Swindon areas.
Commander Dominic Murphy, Head of the Met’s Counter Terrorism Command, said:
“Our officers and staff are progressing what is a significant and highly complex investigation, and we still have searches and activity underway at multiple addresses across the country.
“We are working incredibly hard, with public safety at the forefront of our ongoing efforts.
“We believe that a specific premises was the target of this suspected plot and Counter Terrorism Policing officers remain in close contact with the affected premises.
“At this time, we will not be providing further information about the suspected target for reasons of operational security and public safety.
“I would like to ask people to support my officers in this and not to speculate or share information that has not been confirmed by Counter Terrorism Policing. We have clear and critical reasons not to provide more detail at this time.
“The investigation is still in its early stages and we are exploring various lines of enquiry to establish any potential motivation as well as to identify whether there may be any further risk to the public linked to this matter.
“As always, I would ask the public to remain vigilant and if they see or hear anything that concerns them, then to contact us.
“We are working closely with local officers in the areas where we made arrests on Saturday and I’d like to thank police colleagues around the country for their ongoing support.”
The Met say operational activity is currently being supported by Greater Manchester Police and Wiltshire Police, as well as colleagues from Counter Terrorism Policing across the country.
The public are being asked to remain vigilant and if they see or hear anything that doesn’t look or feel right, then to report it to police – either by calling police, in confidence, on 0800 789 321 or via www.gov.uk/ACT
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