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| Britain |
| Arrests of terror suspects in UK |
| 2003-11-27 |
| A man suspected of having connections with al-Qaeda has been arrested in Gloucester under the Terrorism Act. Homes in the Barton Street area of the city were evacuated on Thursday after the 24-year-old man was arrested. Home Secretary David Blunkett told the BBC: "We wouldn’t have taken these steps if we didn’t believe this individual posed a very real threat to the life and liberty of this country." The Gloucester arrest’s quite possibly preempting a planned al Qaeda attack on neighbouring Cheltenham’s UK communications intelligence headquarters, GCHQ. In a separate investigation, a 39-year-old man was arrested in Manchester under the Terrorism Act. A Metropolitan Police spokesman said two addresses in Blackburn, Lancashire, were also being searched. Scotland Yard said officers were carrying out a search for explosives at three properties in Gloucester and Blackburn. Detective chief constable of Gloucester police, Martin Baker, said the army was involved in the search. He told a press conference on Thursday that the safety of the public and staff involved was "paramount". Mr Blunkett said of the Gloucester raid: "It is the belief of the security and Special Branch services that this person has connections with the network of al-Qaeda groups. That is why he has been arrested under the Terrorism Act 2000. "Obviously the forensic evidence will be crucial here and I don’t want to in any way damage the future trial." A Whitehall security official said chemical, biological and radiological substances were not thought to be involved. The Gloucester man - whom police said was "British and of Asian origin" - has been taken to a police station in neighbouring Wiltshire for questioning. Officers evacuated 119 homes and moved people from the area around his home because of fears explosives may be involved. A Gloucestershire Police spokeswoman said: "The man was arrested under section 41 of the Terrorism Act, on suspicion of involvement in the commission, preparation or instigation of acts of terror. Searches are ongoing and the immediate area has been evacuated, as there may be explosives on the premises." Hopewell Street, Barton Street and St James Street in the centre of the city have been closed, and people living in the area have been moved to the city’s new leisure centre. Local resident Stephen Baker, who lives in Barton Street, said: "The police have told us that it’s a bomb scare somewhere near the St James Street and Upton Street area. "We can leave the house, but no one is being allowed close to those two streets." |
| Posted by:Bulldog |
| #7 Fool! Taunting the Army of Steve™ will cause us to bring a fat-wa upon you. At least 6,000 calories for this day alone! You shall become shiny and plump, and the Thai bar-girls shall no longer glance in your direction! Your money shall no longer buy the best beer! The burqas in your dreams shall all be XXL sized! Do not taunt the Army of Steve™! |
| Posted by: Steve White 2003-11-27 9:18:13 PM |
| #6 Um, does that mean PakiWacki is out, too? How about Iwacki? Man, I hate it when this happens. Can we call then "Steve" as a Rantburg inside thing? Know what I mean? Know what I mean? (wink, wink, nudge, nudge) That will clear up all of the confusion, I'm sure, and keep Fred out of the clutches of sinister forces. ;-) |
| Posted by: .com 2003-11-27 9:10:26 PM |
| #5 That's code for him being a Paki Pakistani, Indian or Bangladeshi usually, "Asian" in the UK in this context is usually applied to Indian subcontinentals. "Paki" is a very offensive term in the UK, btw. |
| Posted by: Bulldog 2003-11-27 8:46:20 PM |
| #4 Beat me to it, didja? There's gotta be a first time for everything! Maybe too much Thanksgiving turkey made the difference between posting and post-post posting... ;) Update: Explosive material has been found at the house of an al-Qaida suspect who was arrested by police on Thursday morning in a major anti-terrorism raid. [A] Scotland Yard spokesman would not comment on reports that a suicide attack on a football ground had been foiled. A "relatively small amount" of explosives was found, which was removed and examined, he added. A bomb-belt's worth of explosive's not going to be much good against GCHQ. More likely a football crowd, shopping centre, bus... The suspect, who is a Briton of Asian descent, has been transferred from Gloucester to a police station in London where he will be questioned by detectives. He can be held for up to seven days in custody under the Terrorism Act. |
| Posted by: Bulldog 2003-11-27 8:39:51 PM |
| #3 The Gloucester man - whom police said was "British and of Asian origin" That's code for him being a Paki. |
| Posted by: Jack is Back! 2003-11-27 8:37:44 PM |
| #2 At least there was no stabbing this time. |
| Posted by: Anonymous 2003-11-27 1:46:25 PM |
| #1 Beat me to it, didja? Let me get up to get a bite of lunch, and as soon's my back's turned... Grumble. Grumble.. |
| Posted by: Fred 2003-11-27 11:43:44 AM |