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‘Threat to Islamic event’: 12 right-wing terror suspects arrested in UK, aged 27 to 82
8 men have been arrested and detained under section 41 of the Terrorism Act and remain in police custody. The other 4 were held for other crimes.
British police said on Monday they arrested 12 people as part of an investigation which they described as "extreme right-wing terrorism-related", and was linked to a suspected threat directed towards an Islamic event that took place over the weekend.
The police have said there is no wider threat to the public connected to this matter. The cops added that officers are conducting searches at various addresses across the country linked to those arrested.
The UK Ijtima, a large Islamic gathering that took place in Suffolk, eastern England, over the weekend, was closed early after police were tipped off about a potential threat.
"After becoming aware of a potential serious threat towards the Islamic event in Suffolk, we have moved extremely quickly to make a number of arrests in various locations across the country," Helen Flanagan, head of Counter Terrorism Policing London, said.
Arrested people aged between 27 and 82
Those arrested on Sunday and Monday include 11 men aged 27 to 82 and one 48-year-old woman, all residing in London or eastern England.
Eight of the men were arrested on suspicion of "terrorism", three men were arrested on suspicion of conspiracy to murder, and the woman was arrested on suspicion of assisting an offender.
Police said, "There is not believed to be any wider threat to the public connected to this matter".
Interior minister Shabana Mahmood said police had investigated a "credible threat" against the event.
"I know this is deeply concerning news for British Muslims. We must stand against hatred," Mahmood said in a statement on X.
Islamophobia in the UK
Reports of Islamophobia and antisemitism in the UK have spiked in recent years, according to charities, alongside a rise in anti-immigrant sentiment fuelling protests and riots.
Last month, a Scottish man was charged with attempted murder with a racist and terror motive after five people were injured in a stabbing spree thought to be motivated by "anti-Muslim hatred".
