AFP/London

British police have arrested six people on suspicion of terrorism after Turkish authorities stopped a group crossing the Syrian border, police said.

Four people aged between 22 and 47 were arrested at Manchester airport in north west England early Wednesday, following on from the arrest on Tuesday of a 21-year-old man at Birmingham airport in central England and a 31-year-old man in Rochdale, near Manchester.

All six remain in police custody for questioning, according to a statement from Greater Manchester Police.

The investigation was launched after nine people -- five adults and four children -- were stopped by Turkish authorities trying to cross into Syria last month.

Turkey deported the nine Britons, including the son of a local councillor from Rochdale, on Tuesday, two weeks after arresting them for attempting to cross into Syria to join jihadists, Turkey's official news agency Anatolia said.

The four children have been placed in the care of a guardian.

Turkey is under pressure from its Western allies to halt the flow across its territory of European nationals seeking to join extremist groups such as Islamic State and has made a number of arrests in recent months.

 

 

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