Counter-terror police arrest man in Birmingham

http://www.theguardian.com/uk-news/2015/aug/10/counter-terror-police-arrest-man-birmingham

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A man has been arrested in a counter-terrorism operation, police have said.

Officers said a 27-year-old man was being held after suspicious items were allegedly found at his home in Alum Rock, in east Birmingham.

Police arrested the man at 1.40am on Sunday on suspicion of going equipped and possession of an offensive weapon.

Houses on the street were evacuated temporarily while experts from West Midlands police, the fire service and army conducted safety checks on the items.

No further details on the nature of those items have been disclosed.

The man is being held under section 41 of the Terrorism Act which relates to the commission, preparation or instigation of acts of terrorism and detectives from the West Midlands counter-terrorism unit have until Tuesday to question him.

Abu Alamgir, a member of the Birmingham Police Monitoring Project who witnessed the operation, said he saw vans from the bomb disposal squad of the army’s Royal Logistic Corps.