Twelve men have been arrested during anti-terrorist operation
Sayings of the Last Prophet – Muhammad (pbuh):
“The greatest jihad (struggle) is with one’s self.”
“Whoever suppresses his anger, when he has it in his power to show it,
God will give him a great reward.”
“Do you love your Creator? Love your fellow beings first.”
“Wish not, nor pray for death before its time comes.”
The suspects, all males, were detained by unarmed officers about 05:00 GMT on suspicion of the commission, preparation or instigation of an act of terrorism in the UK.
Male aged 28 from Cardiff
Male aged 26 from Cardiff
Male aged 25 from Cardiff
Male aged 24 from Cardiff
Male aged 23 from Cardiff
Male aged 19 from Stoke-on-Trent
Male aged 26 from Stoke-on-Trent
Male aged 26 from Stoke-on-Trent
Male ages 25 from Stoke-on-Trent
Male aged 20 from London
Male aged 28 from London
Male aged 17 from London
All were arrested at or near their home addresses, with the exception of one suspect from Stoke who was at a domestic property in Birmingham. Searches are now being conducted at their home addresses, plus the address in Birmingham and another residence in London. The suspects will be held at police stations in Central London, the North West and the West Midlands.
Metropolitan Police Assistant Commissioner John Yates, national lead for counter-terrorism policing, said it was a “large-scale, pre-planned, intelligence-led” operation involving several forces. “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.” he said.
The Association of British Muslims commends the sensitive way the raids were carried out, on what is considered by police to be an “Al Qaeda” inspired plot. The officers who arrested the men were unarmed, suggesting the police felt there was no serious threat against them. Ongoing assistance has been offered to families of those arrested by the police.
Sources suggest the plotters were planning to set off a number of bombs in “multiple locations” over the holiday period. Theresa May, the British Home Secretary, was fully briefed on the raids before they took place.
The operation is being led by DAC Stuart Osborne – Senior National Coordinator Terrorist Investigations, and coordinated from the West Midlands Counter Terrorism Unit. It also involves the Metropolitan Police’s Counter Terrorism Command, South Wales Police and Staffordshire Police.
Sources suggest that the arrested men do not have any connection with Taimur Abdulwahab al-Abdaly, the Stockholm suicide bomber who lived in Luton for many years.
The Association of British Muslims commends any non-violent action for the protection of innocent life. Indeed, we offer our services and support to any individual, group or agency that wishes to promote dialogue/discussion with the larger community, in furthering understanding of grievance and/or policies that effect any particular section of society.
We call upon people of all backgrounds to work together in tackling extremism in every form, whether religious or political, and to promote dialogue to help reveal that middle ground in which we can all make progress together.
Jihad, which literally means ‘struggle’ has internal, societal and combative dimensions. The internal dimension of jihad, encompasses the struggle against any evil inclinations of the self, and the spiritual path to adorn one’s self with virtues such as justice, mercy, generosity and kindness. The societal dimension includes struggling against social injustice and creating a communal identity based on charity, respect and equality. Finally, the combative aspect of jihad, is only to be used as self-defence against aggression or to fight oppression, and even then, only to be observed within strict limits of conduct that preserves the life of civilians and the sanctity of the environment. Moreover, this latter type of jihad can only be declared by a legitimate recognised government, not some unknown entity hiding in the wilderness…
Neither the law of Islam, nor its ethical system justify such a crime as murder.
Contact: press@aobm.org
