Three men held in anti-terror swoop

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The three were arrested after officers from Greater Manchester Police's Counter Terrorism Unit were alerted to alleged terrorist activity.

A fourth man was also arrested for immigration offences in connection with the same operation. Police raided two properties, one on Stockport Road and one Hamilton Road, both in the Longsight district of Manchester.

Police confirmed the arrests were not linked to the recent botched bomb attempts in Glasgow and London.

A police spokeswoman said: "Three men were arrested under the Terrorism Act 2000 and a fourth under immigration legislation. Three were arrested on Stockport Road, Longsight, and the fourth was arrested at Hamilton Road, Longsight.

"The arrests have been made following information received by police about alleged terrorist activity and of the existence of a potential threat. Officers from Greater Manchester Police's Counter Terrorism Unit are leading the investigation. Public safety is of paramount importance and it has therefore been necessary to take the action today.

"There are no links to any recent incidents or investigations. Six officers made the arrests, and no armed officers were involved. The information came in from a credible source and we had to act on it to assess if it was accurate or not."

Police arrested some of the suspects on the street and others inside the properties at about 1.25pm on Wednesday.

Three policemen stood guard outside the Hamilton Road address, a dilapidated three-storey Victorian mid-terrace. The house is in the heart of Longsight which has a large Asian population. Hamilton Road is two streets away from the Dar-Ul-Uloom Islamia mosque.

Neighbours said a group of men of Middle-Eastern appearance moved into the rented property two weeks ago. Its ground-floor windows were already boarded up when they moved in, having been smashed by the previous tenants.