AFP/London


A police officer stands outside a house in Luton
The police yesterday arrested five men on suspicion of terror offences in the town of Luton, northwest of London, in pre-planned raids.
The men, aged 35, 30, 24, 23 and 21, were arrested “on suspicion of the commission, preparation or instigation of acts of terrorism,” Scotland Yard police headquarters said.
They were arrested at five residential addresses in Luton and were taken to a central London police station where they remain in custody.
The arrests by officers from the Counter-Terrorism Command were a part of a pre-planned, intelligence-led operation, Scotland Yard said.
The men were arrested at houses in the Bury Park area, which has been home to a large Pakistani community since the 1970s.
The local Bedfordshire police force said the arrests were made by unarmed officers. “Full consideration has been given to treating those arrested, and especially their families, with appropriate respect for cultural and religious identity as far as is possible,” a spokeswoman said.
Searches are being carried out at the five houses and are expected to take at least a day. Sources said so far nothing “hazardous” had been found.
The families of those arrested have been advised to find alternative accommodation.
“There is no danger to other nearby residents,” the spokeswoman said.
The arrests are understood to be connected to a series of searches in Luton last year. At that time no arrests were made.
Sources played down any links to government plans to deport cleric Abu Qatada.
The arrests come days after a terrorist group warned Britain against deporting the cleric. Al-Shebaab, a Somali-based group linked to Al Qaeda, said there would be “disaster” for the British public if the preacher was sent back to Jordan.
The UK terror threat stands at substantial, meaning that an attack is a strong possibility.