Twelve people have been arrested over an alleged “extreme right-wing terrorism” plot targeting an Islamic event in Suffolk following an investigation by Counter Terrorism Policing (CTP) London.
The arrests came after police identified what they described as a “potential serious threat” to the UK Ijtima gathering at Shrubland Hall, which ran from July 9 to 13. Organizers were advised to end the event slightly earlier than planned as a precaution, and police said all 15,000 attendees left the site safely.
Those arrested include a 27-year-old man in Ipswich, a 35-year-old man in Greater Manchester, two 42-year-old men in Essex, five men in Surrey aged 27, 29, 55, 60 and 82, a 33-year-old man in Southeast London, and a 31-year-old man and a 48-year-old woman in East London.
Three of the men, aged 55, 60 and 82, were arrested on suspicion of conspiracy to commit murder. The 82-year-old has since been released on bail.
The 48-year-old woman was arrested on suspicion of assisting an offender.
Eight of the men were arrested under section 41 of the Terrorism Act 2000 and remain in police custody.
“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,” Commander Helen Flanagan, head of CTP London, said in a statement on Monday.
She added: “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.”
Home Secretary Shabana Mahmood said the police response to what she described as a “credible threat” to the UK Ijtima festival had “undoubtedly saved lives.”
“I know this is deeply concerning news for British Muslims,” she said. “We must stand against hatred and we must unite around our shared belief in a country that is open, generous and tolerant to all our communities.”
Police are carrying out several searches across the country in connection to the arrests.
