British police Sunday were granted more time to question nine men who were arrested last week on suspicion of terror-related activities. "The nine men are still in custody under the Terrorism Act 2000 and we got an extension until Tuesday," said a representative of New Scotland Yard. Police also said they are no longer questioning two of the 11 suspects still in custody. One of the suspects in custody is believed to be a key al Qaeda operative. The two men, who also were originally held under the Terrorism Act 2000, remain in custody on suspicion of possessing forged identity documents, police said Sunday. Under British law, suspects can be held for up to two weeks before police decide whether to charge them. However, courts grant that permission only a few days at a time.
Late Friday, police released a 25-year-old man without charge. No other details were provided. Another man was released without charge Tuesday. Those two men were among 13 arrested Tuesday in raids in northwest London, Hertfordshire, Bedfordshire and Lancashire. The men -- aged between 19 and 32 -- were taken into custody "on suspicion of being concerned in the commission, preparation or instigation of acts of terrorism," London's Metropolitan Police said in a statement. The statement did not disclose the nationalities of the men arrested, nor did it provide details of their alleged terrorist activities.
| Any of them named Clive or Trevor? |
Suspects arrested in previous anti-terrorism raids in Britain have often been released without charge. Three months ago, the UK Home Office said that fewer than one in five of those arrested under the Terrorism Act 2000 had been charged with offenses under the legislation. By the end of June this year, 609 people had been arrested under the Act since September 11, 2001, the Home Office said. The Home Office said 99 of those had been charged with offenses under the Act, including 38 who were also charged under other legislation. Of the 99 charged, 15 have been convicted. The remainder were released without charge, bailed to ensure their return, cautioned, charged under other legislation or dealt with under immigration or mental health legislation, the Home Office said. |