By IRNA,
London : A dozen men were arrested in early morning counter-terror operations in three locations in England and Wales Monday.
Five were detained from the Welsh capital, Cardiff, four from Stoke-on-Trent in central England and three from London in what was described as a large-scale, pre-planned and intelligence-led operation, involving several forces.
Unusually, the police carrying out the anti-terror raids were understood to be unarmed, reflecting that any threat was in its early stages.
West Midlands Police said the men, aged between 17 and 28, were detained on suspicion of the commission, preparation or instigation of an act of terrorism in the UK.
‘All were arrested at or near their home addresses, with the exception of one suspect from Stoke who was at a domestic property in Birmingham,” a police statement said.
‘Searches are now being conducted at the home addresses, plus the address in Birmingham and another residence in London. The suspects will be held at police stations in central London, the North West and the West Midlands,’ the statement said.