Terrorism Arrests—United Kingdom

There are conflicting reports about how many people were detained in anti-terrorism raids carried out in the United Kingdom today. Reuters says it was 7 people,^[1] 8 people,^[2] or 9 people,^[3] while Bloomberg puts the number at 7,^[4] and the AP says that 9 people were arrested.^[5] Some of the confusion can be attributed to news organizations having flexibility over their headlines, and some of it can be attributed to the apparent release of some of the individuals after questioning.

No matter the number of people who are ultimately being held by British authorities, it is clear that raids were carried out across the United Kingdom, conducted by over 500 officers.^[6] The operations began at 3 this morning, with “officers from five forces assisted by the security and immigration services” raiding addresses in Manchester, Merseyside, Middlesbrough, the West Midlands and the London area.^[7] Two of the arrests were made under the Terrorism Act, while six were made under immigration legislation; one or two of the individuals arrested on the immigration charges were released without charge.^[8]

Police describe the situation as “fluid,” noting that “[s]earching addresses under the terrorism act can often take two, three or more days…it will take some time to resolve.”^[9] The individuals have been under surveillance for more than a year, and five of the suspects might be eligible for deportation because “their presence in Britain [is] ‘not conducive to the public good.’”^[10] The raids do not seem to be focused on activities that might pose a threat to the UK, but rather are “believed to relate to activities in Iraq.”^[11]

Under the Terrorism Act of 2000, a justice of the peace may “on the application of a constable issue a warrant in relation to a specified premises if he is satisfied that there are reasonable grounds for suspecting that” a particular person will be found at those premises.^[12]

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[1] Valentina Za er al., British Police Detain 7 in Anti-Terrorism Raids, Reuters (via ABC News), May 24, 2006.
[2] British Police Detain 8 in Anti-Terrorism Raids, Reuters, May 24, 2006.
[3] Valentina Za, et al., Police Detain 9 in Anti-Terrorism Raids, Reuters.uk, May 24, 2006.
[4] U.K. Police Hold Seven Suspects After Series of Raids, Bloomberg, May 24, 2006.
[5] 9 Arrested in Britain on Terror Allegations, AP (via Houston Chronicle), May 24, 2006.
[6] Id.
[7] Seven Arrested in Major Terror Operation, Times of London, May 24, 2006.
[8] See id. and Za, supra note 1.
[9] Za, supra note 1.
[10] Eight Held in Anti-Terror Raids, BBC, May 24, 2006.
[11] Id.
[12] Terrorism Act 2000, c. 11, s. 42.