London Terror Ring Smashed

Sept. 19, 2002
Justin Davenport, Crime Correspondent, Evening Standard

Police and MI5 have smashed a suspected London Islamic terror network after raids across the capital.

Six men were arrested for alleged terrorism activity and five others for criminal and immigration offences. All the suspects are in their twenties and thirties, were believed to have links with each other and are thought to be of Middle Eastern origin.

Police sources said those held under the Prevention of Terrorism Act 2000 were suspected of raising funds and providing logistical support for international terrorist activity.

Scotland Yard said today the arrests yesterday morning were carried out by officers from the Anti-Terrorist Branch following a joint investigation with the security services. The men are being held at addresses across London.

One man held on suspected criminal offences was released on bail this morning. Police said the remaining 10 were taken to a central London police station for questioning today.

Forensic science experts were carrying out detailed searches today at the addresses where the raids took place. Police removed property to be used in forensic examination but so far they have not recovered any guns or explosives. Officers were also searching two storage units in the capital.

The operation was launched after a long-term investigation into international terrorism. The arrests were not believed to be directly related to the attacks of 11 September last year and the suspects are not thought to be linked directly to the al-Qaeda terrorist group.

The arrests were not carried out following information given to Britain by the FBI but came from inquiries carried out by security service operatives and police in London.

The raids are the latest in a series of police operations targeting the network of support for international terror groups which has flourished in London.

The scale of fundraising and logistical support for Islamic terrorism in Britain is only slowly unravelling.

Last year, following the 11 September atrocities, a terrorist-finance team was set up by the National Criminal Intelligence Service. In the past 10 months the unit has assessed and passed on to Scotland Yard 3,000 potentially terrorist related, suspicious transaction reports.

At the same time, the Yard's Anti-Terrorist Branch, which has been massively expanded in recent months, is engaged in one of the busiest periods in its history tracing possible terrorist fund-raising networks.

The task is made far more complex because of the use by Islamic terror groups of the hawala informal banking system used by Muslims across the world to transfer money quickly and anonymously.

http://www.thisislondon.com/html/news.html