British police arrest 14 terror suspects

Fourteen people were arrested today under British anti-terror laws after dawn raids on homes and businesses, police said.

Officers swooped at separate addresses across London and Cambridge as well as Dudley and Walsall in the West Midlands early this morning.

The twelve men and two women were all being held in custody under the Terrorism Act at separate police stations.

Six residential address and three business addresses in London were being searched by police.

Under the Terrorism Act, police have a maximum of seven days to hold the suspects without charge.

Today’s arrests came two days after London Mayor Ken Livingstone claimed police and security services had foiled four terrorist attacks on the capital.

Mr Livingstone gave no further details about the planned attacks but suggested that some of the cases could come to court.

Police were still questioning another man today suspected of having links to the al Qaida terror network.

Sajid Badat, 24, was arrested in Gloucester last Thursday on suspicion of involvement in terrorist activities.

Police now have until tomorrow to continue questioning Badat, a devout Muslim, who is being held at the high-security Paddington Green police station in west London.

Gloucestershire Police confirmed yesterday that a forensic search of his home in St James Street, where it is alleged a “relatively small amount” of explosives has been found, was continuing.

Elsewhere, six men being detained by Sussex Police under anti-terrorism legislation still remained in custody.

The men, of North African origin and all in their mid-20s, were detained by officers investigating a “large scale” cheque and credit card fraud.

They were being held under section 17 of the Terrorism Act 2000, which relates to the arranging of funds or property for the purposes of terrorism.

Police confirmed that all six men were still being questioned by detectives at police stations across Sussex.

One man was arrested last Tuesday night, while the others were taken into custody on Thursday and Friday. Two are from Eastbourne, two from Hastings and two from London.

The arrests were not connected to those made elsewhere under anti-terror legislation last week, police said.

Britain currently stands at its second highest state of alert for a terrorist attack.

The level was recently increased from “significant” to “severe general” following new intelligence of an al Qaida plot.