Four arrested in CT investigation released from custody

Four men arrested as part of a Counter Terrorism Policing investigation have been released from custody.

The men [A-D] were arrested on Saturday, 3 May at addresses in London, Swindon and Greater Manchester.

Commander Dominic Murphy, Head of the Met’s Counter Terrorism Command said: “We made these arrests due to concerns about a suspected plot to target a specific premises. Since those arrests, detectives have been working to assess all the evidence we’ve gathered and to question the men.

“They are now being released from custody but our investigation remains active and is ongoing.

“We are working very closely with the premises we identified as the suspected target of the alleged plot, and we continue to provide them with support. This has been, and continues to be, a highly complex investigation, and we will not hesitate to take further action if we believe there is any imminent threat to the public.

“I would like to thank the public for their support and understanding – particularly in the areas and communities across the UK who have felt the direct impact of our activity.

“I’d like to ask people to remain vigilant and contact us if anything doesn’t look or feel right. Information from the public is crucial to our work.”

Anyone who sees or hears something that doesn’t feel right can call police, in confidence, on 0800 789 321, or report it via www.gov.uk/ACT.

Five men were arrested on 3 May, as part of a pre-planned operation:

[A] a 29-year-old man was arrested in the Swindon area
[B] a 46-year-old man was arrested in west London
[C] a 29-year-old man was arrested in the Stockport area
[D] a 40-year-old man was arrested in the Rochdale area
[E] a 24-year-old man was arrested in the Manchester area

The five men, who are all Iranian nationals, were arrested on suspicion of preparation of a terrorist act, contrary to section 5 of the Terrorism Act (TACT), 2006. Four of the men [A-D] were detained under TACT and after obtaining various warrants of further detention, all four were released from custody on 17 May.

The fifth man [E] was detained under the Police and Criminal Evidence Act (PACE). He was previously released on bail, with conditions, to a date in May.

As part of the investigation, officers continue to carry out searches at a number of addresses in the Greater Manchester, London, Swindon and High Wycombe areas.