Warrants of further detention obtained in terrorism investigation

Four men who were arrested on suspicion of terrorism offences can be detained and questioned until Saturday, 17 May.

They were arrested on Saturday, 3 May, as part of a national pre-planned operation and are as follows:

[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

All 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.

The fifth man [E] was detained under the Police and Criminal Evidence Act (PACE). He has now been 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 and Swindon areas.

Commander Dominic Murphy, Head of the Met’s Counter Terrorism Command, said:

“Our officers and staff continue to progress what is a significant and highly complex investigation. We are working incredibly hard with public safety at the forefront of our ongoing efforts.

“I would like to ask people to not speculate or share information that has not been confirmed by Counter Terrorism Policing. We have clear and critical reasons for not providing further details at this time. As soon as we can, we will look to share further information with the public.

“As always, I would ask the public to remain vigilant and if they see or hear anything that concerns them, then to contact us.

“We are working closely with local officers in the areas where we made arrests on last Saturday and I’d like to thank police colleagues around the country for their ongoing support.”