'UK police arrest man in PM threat probe'

Britain's Press Association reports that British counterterrorism police arrest a 25-year-old man during an investigation into threats to kill Prime Minister Gordon Brown.

British counterterrorism police arrested a 25-year-old man on Tuesday during an investigation into threats to kill Prime Minister Gordon Brown, Britain's Press Association reported. Lancashire Police said the the man was arrested on suspicion of committing offenses under Britain's terror laws. The man, whose name has not been released, was the fourth person to be arrested on terror charges in northern England in the past two weeks. Police are still questioning three men they arrested Aug. 14. Police declined to comment when asked about the case by The Associated Press.

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Last week, the British Broadcasting Corp. reported that the first three men arrested were being held in connection with a Web site posting signed "al-Qaida in Britain" that threatened the life of Brown and his predecessor as prime minister, Tony Blair. The BBC did not explain the suspects' alleged connection to the Internet posting.

The statement, posted on a radical Web site earlier this year, demanded the withdrawal of British troops from Iraq and Afghanistan and the release of some Muslim prison inmates.

A Downing Street spokeswoman declined comment, saying the prime minister's office does not discuss security issues. She spoke on condition of anonymity in line with government policy.