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Four arrested in London terror raids London terror raid suspects questioned
(35 minutes later)
Four men have been arrested in London in a counter-terrorism operation, the Metropolitan Police has said. Four men are being questioned over an alleged terror plot after they were arrested in a series of raids by armed police officers across London.
Scotland Yard said they were held under the Terrorism Act 2000 on suspicion of the commission, preparation or instigation of acts of terrorism. The men - arrested at about 19:10 BST on Sunday in Whitechapel, Bayswater and Peckham - are being held on suspicion of the commission, preparation or instigation of acts of terrorism.
Armed officers were involved in the arrests, which took place on Sunday at around 19:10 BST in the Whitechapel, Bayswater and Peckham areas. Searches are continuing at six addresses and on two vehicles.
Police said searches were continuing at six addresses. Whitehall officials said the alleged plot was "potentially very serious".
Two vehicles are also being searched. But they said it did not appear to be on anything like the scale of earlier major plots, such as the airline liquid bomb plot or the Birmingham rucksack bomb plot, which all resulted in convictions.
In a statement the Met said the arrests were made during a "pre-planned, intelligence-led operation". The men were taken to a south London police station.
"Public safety remains our overriding concern," the statement added. Two men, both aged 25, were arrested in a car in Mansell Street, Whitechapel, east London, after police fired "Hatton rounds" - ammunition designed to blow out tyres and blow open doors with minimal collateral damage.
The men have been taken to a south London police station. A 28-year-old man was arrested at premises in Westbourne Grove, Bayswater, west London, and the fourth man, aged 29, was arrested in Peckham Hill Street, Peckham, south-east London.
Two men, both aged 25, were arrested in Mansell Street, Whitechapel, east London. BBC security correspondent Frank Gardner said the decision to make arrests was taken on Sunday by a joint committee of senior officers from MI5 and the Met Police's Counter Terrorism Command.
A 28-year-old man was arrested at a premises in Westbourne Grove, Bayswater, west London, and the fourth man, aged 29, was arrested in Peckham Hill Street, Peckham, south-east London. As always, they faced a dilemma over whether to hold off longer to gather more evidence but then risk danger to the public, he said.
BBC security correspondent Frank Gardner said the alleged plot was believed to have involved firearms and had been being monitored for some time. The alleged plot had been monitored for some time, he added.
"The decision to go in and make arrests was taken yesterday by a senior committee involving both MI5 and the Met Police," he said.
He added that he did not believe the alleged plot to have been "huge".
Alistair Gillies, 38, who saw one of the arrests taking place, told the BBC: "I was just going out to try and get something to eat and walking back up Westbourne Grove towards Bayswater and I noticed that a police car had pulled across the road.Alistair Gillies, 38, who saw one of the arrests taking place, told the BBC: "I was just going out to try and get something to eat and walking back up Westbourne Grove towards Bayswater and I noticed that a police car had pulled across the road.
"There was probably in the region of about two dozen officers. The majority of them appeared to be plain clothes but they had on baseball caps with the checkerboard and police marking, apart from that, they were dressed in plain clothes.""There was probably in the region of about two dozen officers. The majority of them appeared to be plain clothes but they had on baseball caps with the checkerboard and police marking, apart from that, they were dressed in plain clothes."
He added: "It didn't look like they had just pulled a car over or had just picked someone up. It looked like there was a great deal of planning and a great deal of resources had been put on to tackling this situation."He added: "It didn't look like they had just pulled a car over or had just picked someone up. It looked like there was a great deal of planning and a great deal of resources had been put on to tackling this situation."