kawiboy
March 31st, 2004, 03:17 AM
http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/england/3584009.stm
BRITISH police appear to have foiled a major terrorist attack with the arrest of eight men and the seizure of about 1000 pounds of fertilizer used in attacks like the Bali bombings.
Relatives of three of the arrested men insisted they had done nothing wrong. Sajjad Ahmad, the uncle of an 18-year-old detained along with his two cousins aged 22 and 17, told the Daily Mirror: "They are just regular English guys. They are as British as they come. They don't even have beards."
Major newspapers reacted to news of the British citizens' arrests by warning of the dangers of an attack launched from within Britain.
The Times daily reported that Britain's leading Muslim organisation was writing to every mosque in the country asking imams and other community leaders to be on the lookout for possible terrorists in their midst.
Iqbal Sacranie, secretary-general of the Muslim Council of Britain, told the paper: "If there is anything we become aware of, it is our duty to ensure that this is reported immediately to the police. We will not tolerate terrorism."
The Financial Times said the arrests intensified fears that Britain faced a threat from extremists who grew up within Muslim communities in Britain.
There are some 1.7 million Muslims in Britain, according to government figures, but experts think the true figure could be more than two million.
The Independent newspaper reported that unnamed anti-terrorism sources believed they had prevented the first attack on British soil by followers of Osama bin Laden's al-Qa'ida organisation.
The Daily Express said in an editorial that the arrests were a "wake-up call" for British Muslims. "The enemy within must be rooted out," it said.
BRITISH police appear to have foiled a major terrorist attack with the arrest of eight men and the seizure of about 1000 pounds of fertilizer used in attacks like the Bali bombings.
Relatives of three of the arrested men insisted they had done nothing wrong. Sajjad Ahmad, the uncle of an 18-year-old detained along with his two cousins aged 22 and 17, told the Daily Mirror: "They are just regular English guys. They are as British as they come. They don't even have beards."
Major newspapers reacted to news of the British citizens' arrests by warning of the dangers of an attack launched from within Britain.
The Times daily reported that Britain's leading Muslim organisation was writing to every mosque in the country asking imams and other community leaders to be on the lookout for possible terrorists in their midst.
Iqbal Sacranie, secretary-general of the Muslim Council of Britain, told the paper: "If there is anything we become aware of, it is our duty to ensure that this is reported immediately to the police. We will not tolerate terrorism."
The Financial Times said the arrests intensified fears that Britain faced a threat from extremists who grew up within Muslim communities in Britain.
There are some 1.7 million Muslims in Britain, according to government figures, but experts think the true figure could be more than two million.
The Independent newspaper reported that unnamed anti-terrorism sources believed they had prevented the first attack on British soil by followers of Osama bin Laden's al-Qa'ida organisation.
The Daily Express said in an editorial that the arrests were a "wake-up call" for British Muslims. "The enemy within must be rooted out," it said.