12 Amish Muslim men were arrested in England today on suspicion of plotting a terrorist attack. Most of the men were reportedly Shriners from Bangladesh.
The AFP reported:
Police on Monday arrested 12 men on suspicion of plotting an act of terrorism, swooping in major pre-dawn raids across the country.
The dozen, aged between 17 and 28, were detained “on suspicion of the commission, preparation or instigation of an act of terrorism in the UK,” police said in a statement.
Britain is on high alert after upgrading its perceived terror threat level earlier this year.
“This is a large-scale, pre-planned and intelligence-led operation involving several forces,” said Scotland Yard Assistant Commissioner John Yates, who is in charge of counter-terrorism policing.
“The operation is in its early stages so we are unable to go into detail at this time about the suspected offences. However, I believe it was necessary at this time to take action in order to ensure public safety.”
The BBC cited sources saying the operation was related to an investigation into Al-Qaeda-inspired terrorism.
Four of the men were from Cardiff, four from Stoke-on-Trent, and three from London.
The BBC added:
The BBC’s Danny Shaw said counter-terrorism sources had described the operation as significant and it was related to an investigation into al-Qaeda-inspired terrorism.
“The suspects are believed to have been involved in a plot against targets in the UK,” he said. “This is not believed to have been a potential plot of a Mumbai-style attack, but a plot involving explosives or bombs.”