Islamic group's 'dynamite' warning

Omar Bakri Muhammad was not surprised by the raids

A radical Islamic group has warned the government it is "sitting on a box of dynamite" after anti-terrorist police raided its headquarters.

On Wednesday morning, officers from Scotland Yard searched the offices of al-Muhajiroun in north London.

They also raided the homes of the group's leaders, Omar Bakri Muhammad in Edmonton, north-east London, and Anjem Choudary in Tottenham, north London.

A number of items taken from the addresses are currently being examined, a police spokesman said.

Scotland Yard said search warrants to enter the properties in London and also Essex were executed under the Terrorism Act and that no arrests had been made.

But the group warned the British government of retaliation.

The police always investigate us, always interrogate us, always check everything we do Omar Bakri Muhammad

A statement from al-Muhajiroun read: "For the moment Muslims in the UK have a covenant of security which prevents them from attacking the lives and wealth of anyone here.

"However Muslims are also obliged to defend their life, honour and wealth when it is attacked and violated.

"With the worst housing, the highest unemployment, the largest number of race murders in Europe, a whole range of draconian laws tailored to intimidate the Muslim community, the Blair regime is today sitting on a box of dynamite and have only themselves to blame if after attacking the Islamic movements and the Islamic scholars, it all blows up in their face."

Al-Muhajiroun has been linked to the recent British suicide bombers in Israel and has been behind calls to overthrow the UK Government.

Clamping down

Omar Bakri Muhammad told BBC News he was not surprised at the raids.

"It is not the first time - the police visit us and take some items and cancel some of our events.

"But the scale of it this time, it seems to me they are really clamping down on al-Muhajiroun.

"The police always investigate us, always interrogate us, always check everything we do."