British police said on Monday they had arrested 12 people after a suspected threat directed towards an religious event at the weekend, as part of an investigation which they described as “extreme right-wing terrorism-related”.
Acting swiftly on intelligence survillence police arrested individuals across several regions of the country, including London, Surrey, Greater Manchester, and Essex.
While eight men were detained directly under the Terrorism Act, three others face charges of conspiracy to murder, and one woman is accused of assisting an offender.
Police said they had made the arrests on Sunday and Monday at addresses across England after becoming aware of a “potential serious threat” towards the religious event.
Counter Terrorism Policing London has launched a fast-moving, multi-agency operation following a serious and credible threat directed at a major Islamic gathering in Suffolk.
As reported by Reuters, investigation centers on a plot targeting one of the major event or an annual religious festival attended by roughly 15,000 people at Shrubland Hall.
Interior minister Shabana Mahmood said she knew the news would be concerning for British Muslims.
“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,” she said in a post on X.
UK’s prime minister Keir Starmer also expressed his concerns regarding the incident.
Britain raised its national terrorism threat level to “severe” in April, signalling that a terrorist attack was considered highly likely, and counter-terrorism police head Helen Flanagan said the arrests on Monday were a “stark reminder” of that threat level.
