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Follow-up on Manchester stabbing
UK Prime Minister Tony Blair has said his government will "redouble" its efforts to tackle terrorism following the death of a police officer in an anti-terrorism raid. He told parliament that the incident was a reminder of the threat posed by international terrorism. Stephen Oake died and three other officers were injured when a suspect detained in an anti-terrorism raid broke free and stabbed them with a kitchen knife. The raid in the northern city of Manchester on Tuesday evening was ordered as part of an investigation into the discovery of the deadly poison ricin in a flat in London last week. [...] Police have launched an internal inquiry into Tuesday's operation. Stephen Oake, killed in the raid, was a father of three. The officers had already been with the men - aged 23, 27 and 29 and of North African origin - for more than an hour, when the attack took place. The suspects had not been handcuffed at any stage. Two of the three men were arrested under the Terrorism Act 2000, and a third under post-11 September anti-terrorist legislation. They are all being held in Manchester. No chemical substance had been found in the flat so far, said - but officers were still searching the entire three-storey Victorian block early on Wednesday afternoon. Several emergency services staff had been taken to hospital to be screened for possible ricin contamination, but were later discharged. Three of the other four officers injured, of whom three were stabbed and one suffered a broken ankle, have also been discharged, with one staying in hospital for treatment. Posted by: Anonymous 2003-01-15 |
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