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6 held in London terror raids
24/04/2007 12:09 - (SA)
London - British anti-terrorism officers arrested six Muslim men in London in dawn raids on Tuesday, on suspicion of inciting terrorism overseas and raising funds for terrorists.
The six, including Abu Izzadeen who millions saw on television heckling British Home Secretary John Reid at a public meeting last year, were arrested under the Terrorism Act 2000, a spokesperson for Scotland Yard said.
The suspects were held "in low key operations" at 05:00 at
five addresses in London and one in Luton, north of the capital.
"The arrests form part of a long-term pro-active and complex
investigation into alleged incitement and radicalisation for the
purposes of terrorism, as well as alleged provision of financial
support for international terrorism," the spokesperson said.
Izzadeen, who was born Trevor Brooks in Jamaica, shot to
prominence when he shouted down Reid as he tried to give a
speech to Muslim leaders last September urging them to root out
extremism.
He has not been accused of any crime over that outburst but
was charged by police earlier this year with encouraging
terrorism during a speech he gave in Birmingham in 2006.
A security source said Tuesday's arrests were not related to
the July 7, 2005 suicide bomb attacks by four British Islamists
in London which killed 52 people or any other ongoing major
counter terrorism operation.
Anjem Choudary, a former leader of the banned organisation
Al-Ghurabaa, confirmed that Izzadeen, who had been another
senior figure in the group, was among those arrested.
Choudary told Reuters the latest accusations related to
speeches and talks the men had made in 2004.
"They are all active Islamists in the community. They are
all passionate about what they believe," he said.
"They all stand up against the government and their foreign
policy. At the end of the day they have done nothing illegal and
this is just another witch hunt and crusade against the Muslim
community."
- Reuters
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