British Anti terror Arrest 'Could Be Big' -Source

[emad]

LONDON (Reuters) - British police hunting for international terrorists detained two men on Thursday and a security source said it was thought one of the arrests "could be pretty big."

Officers from Britain's anti-terror branch arrested a 24-year-old man in the western town of Gloucester and said they had evacuated the surrounding area in case they found explosives. "It could be pretty big in the sense that if we find what we suspect we are looking for, then we have got something big," a security source told Reuters. A police spokeswoman said the man had been arrested on "suspicion of involvement in the commission, preparation or instigation of acts of terrorism." He has been taken to a police station in nearby Wiltshire.

The source said Thursday's operation was the culmination of months of investigation, but declined to comment on what police suspected the man was planning. Officers were also searching two addresses in the northern town of Blackburn in connection with the arrest of the 24-year-old, believed to be a British-born Muslim. A 39-year-old man was also arrested by anti-terror police on Thursday in the northern city of Manchester, Scotland Yard said. However the source said this arrest was unconnected to the operation in Gloucester.

More:http://reuters.com/newsArticle.jhtml?type=worldNews&storyID=3901237

[legin]

1. Geeezz

I wish the british police would get their act together. This is not how you break a story like this.

The way you do it is "british police capture man just as he is about to let off a couple of huge nuclear weapons in London and Washington" as huge headlines in all the major newspapers.

Then a couple of weeks later you say "well actually he only had a pea shooter" to a vastly influential newspaper like the 'Cheltenham and Cirencester Times'.

"It could be pretty big in the sense that if we find what we suspect we are looking for, then we have got something big," is just so totally lame.

:shakeshead:

[legin]

2. Typical bloody british

I have to say I'm a trifle envious of your arseholes over there, at least they are worthy of hatred.

The closest thing we got to O'Really over here is Richard Littlejohn, and he just sits there like a dork reading an autocue which is moving a fraction too slowly. Just totally limp.

:evilgrin:

[LibLabUK]

3. Hmm

Ugh... Richard Littlejohn is about as scummy as British journalists get.

"In the early 1990s he was censured by the radio authority after describing feminists as "hatchet-faced, shave-headed dykes in boiler suits" on his LBC show, and was branded an "arsehole" live on air by Michael Winner during an LWT chat show." http://media.guardian.co.uk/tvnewsbattleofthebulletins/story/0,7521,870322,00.html

[legin]

4. Hmmm I hear what you're saying LibLabUK

Littlejohn is a creep, I agree, but he just doesn't have the consistency.

O'Really and Coulter are morally offensive every time they open their fat mouths on TV, week in week out, whereas Littlejohn only very occasionaly 'rises' to their 'high' standard. ;-)

[rjbcar27]

5. We should be thankful!

I'm quite proud that we don't have a Coulter or a Rush quite frankly. Littlejohn is a twat and it's only Daily (Hate) Mail readers that listen to him.

[Art_from_Ark]

6. "...if we find what we suspect we are looking for..."

What they *suspect* they are looking for?

:wtf:

[starroute]

9. "Four thousand holes in Blackburn, Lancashire . . .

And though the holes were rather small
They had to count them all
Now they know how many holes it takes to fill the Albert Hall . . ."

[emad]

7. From BBC:

Home Secretary David Blunkett told the BBC: "We wouldn't have taken these steps if we didn't believe this individual posed a very real threat to the life and liberty of this country."

http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/england/gloucestershire/3242812.stm

Gloucester is where Prince Charles lives.....

[leesa]

8. Ah yes, the same old scam they pull here when Bushco. is in trouble

BE AFRAID! BE AFRAID! TERRORISTS EVERYWHERE! The British are generally more intelligent that Americans...how long will this tired game work?

[rjbcar27]

10. I doubt it's a tired game.

I'm of the opinion that this was a real threat. I hope they have got the perp.

[LivingInTheBubble]

11. Perpertrator of what?

They arrest a few brown people every couple of weeks, you never hear about them again because they get released (since they havent done anything wrong, duh) unless they can get them on immigration charges.

[rjbcar27]

12. Would you rather the fuzz just stuck their feet up?

Christ, I'm glad they're working on it. What would you have them do? Sit back, relax, hope that we don't get hit like Turkey, or get out there and pro-actively search for these people before they have a chance to hit us?

[Media_Lies_Daily]

13. I'd rather hear real news than self-serving crap that makes the...

...authorities look like they know what they're doing. It also serves the purpose of distracting the attention of a largely news-ignorant population that gets their news in 10-second sound bites.

Most of us understand that we're being fed government-sponsored propaganda. If it makes you feel better to believe it, then by all means, have at it.

[LivingInTheBubble]

16. Perpertrator of what?

Seriously, what were you talking about?

What have they achieved here? Its a bit early for you to cheer when you don't even know what is going on.

Why were you of the opinion that it was a real threat, do you know something we and the news agencies don't?

[Catshrink]

14. Well heck, they could have had the biggest "tarist" of all just last week

he was in town but they let him go home.

[librechik]

15. I wonder who will notice: careful investigative teamwork did this

NOT bombs and soldiers!

[LivingInTheBubble]

17. The army are doing some of the "policework" here....

They are involved in these raid apparently. Read into that what you will.