Counter terrorism police arrest 12 over ‘far-right threat’ to Islamic event

Searches are being conducted across the country

In a communication, the Met Police said it had arrested a dozen people in connection to an alleged far-right threat to the UK Ijtima event being held at Shrubland Hall, Suffolk this weekend between 9 and 12 July.

Nearly 10,000 are estimated to have attended the event.

Counter terrorism police (CTP) confirmed the investigation was "right-wing terrorism related".

Due to this threat, advice was provided through Suffolk Police to the organisers of the event to close it slightly earlier than planned on Sunday.

The force said there is not believed to be a threat to the wider public in connection with this matter.

Commander Helen Flanagan, Head of Counter Terrorism Policing London said: “After becoming aware of a potential serious threat towards the Islamic event in Suffolk, we have moved extremely quickly to make a number of arrests in various locations across the country.

"I would like to thank colleagues in Suffolk Police for their ongoing support, which led to the declaration of a major incident on Sunday in response to this.

"I’d also like to thank the event organisers and the public who have been impacted by this.

“I know this news may be concerning to the public and particularly those in the Muslim community, given that we believe the intended target was an Islamic event.

"But as we have shown, we will not hesitate to act if there is any potential threat, no matter who or what the potential target may be.

"I’m also pleased to say that although the event ended slightly earlier than planned, it nevertheless passed off safely.

“Sadly, this activity is a stark reminder that the threat level in the UK is at ‘severe’, so we urge the public to remain vigilant and report anything if it doesn’t look or feel right.”

The press release from the Met Police detailed the ages and arrest locations of the arrested people.

They were:

• A 27-year-old man arrested in Surrey on 12 July
• A 35-year-old man arrested in the Greater Manchester area on 12 July
• A 31-year-old man arrested in east London on 13 July
• A 42-year-old man arrested in Essex on 12 July
• A 42-year-old man arrested in Essex on 12 July
• A 33-year-old man arrested in southeast London on 13 July
• A 29-year-old man arrested in Surrey on 12 July
• A 27-year-old man arrested in Ipswich on 12 July
• A 48-year-old woman arrested in East London on 13 July
• An 82-year-old man arrested in Surrey on 12 July
• A 55-year-old man arrested in Surrey on 12 July
• A 60-year-old man arrested in Surrey on 12 July

Police said eight of the men have all been arrested and detained under section 41 of the Terrorism Act, 2000 and remain in police custody at this time.

Three other men were arrested on suspicion of conspiracy to murder, and a woman was arrested on suspicion of assisting an offender.

Of those, one person has since been released on bail.

While the other three remain in police custody at this time.

The police said that officers are conducting searches around the country in connection to those arrested.

Assistant Chief Constable Alice Scott from Suffolk Constabulary said: “We understand that the arrests and the context behind them may well cause some concern amongst our local communities.

"To provide some level of reassurance we will have a visible police presence in the area of Shrubland Hall over the coming days and we welcome local people to speak to us on the matter if they wish to.

“The situation was declared a major incident early on Sunday morning with a multi-agency response convened to ensure a safe and properly co-ordinated departure from the event of the 15,000 attendees. The major incident status was withdrawn earlier today (Mon).

“This was a complex and fast moving scenario with the priority of all the agencies working together to ensure the safety of all the attendees.

"The Suffolk Resilience Forum wants to thank the organiser and attendees for remaining calm in very difficult circumstances, and we can reassure the public that everyone left the location safely.”