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Moazzam Begg among four arrested in Birmingham terror raids | |
(about 1 hour later) | |
A man arrested in terrorism raids in Birmingham on Tuesday morning is Moazzam Begg, the former Guantánamo detainee, the Guardian has learned. | |
West Midlands police said those arrested were connected to alleged Syria-related terrorism offences. | |
Begg, 45, was arrested in Hall Green, Birmingham, and is suspected of attending a terrorist training camp and facilitating terrorism overseas. | |
He was previously incarcerated by the United States in Guantánamo Bay before being released without charge. In recent years he has been a campaigner with the group Caged, which campaigns for those it says are unfairly targeted by the west's war on terror. | |
Police said three men and a woman had been arrested on suspicion of terror offences connected to the conflict in Syria. | |
A man, aged 36, from the city's Shirley area, and a 44-year-old woman and her 20-year-old son, both from Sparkhill, were also arrested on suspicion of facilitating terrorism overseas. The offences are all Syria-related, the force added. | |
All four are being held at a police station in the West Midlands and their three home addresses are being searched by officers from the West Midlands counter-terrorism unit. | All four are being held at a police station in the West Midlands and their three home addresses are being searched by officers from the West Midlands counter-terrorism unit. |
Officers said they were in the process of removing vehicles and electronic equipment for forensic analysis. | Officers said they were in the process of removing vehicles and electronic equipment for forensic analysis. |
Detective Superintendent Shaun Edwards, head of investigations for the regional counter-terrorism unit, said: "All four arrests are connected. They were pre-planned and intelligence-led. There was no immediate risk to public safety. | Detective Superintendent Shaun Edwards, head of investigations for the regional counter-terrorism unit, said: "All four arrests are connected. They were pre-planned and intelligence-led. There was no immediate risk to public safety. |
"We continue to urge anyone planning to travel to Syria to read the advice issued by the Foreign Office." | "We continue to urge anyone planning to travel to Syria to read the advice issued by the Foreign Office." |