Men charged over 'Tigers' support

A fifth man has already been charged in connection with the investigation

Four men have been charged with conspiring to support the banned Tamil Tigers terrorist organisation.

The men are accused of possessing laptops, antennas and high-powered magnets for terrorist purposes.

The men - arrested in London, Newtown, in Powys, and Swindon, in Wiltshire - are due to appear at London's City of Westminster Magistrates' Court.

The Tigers have fought for a generation in Sri Lanka, to gain an independent state for the Tamil minority.

Major funding

A Scotland Yard spokesman said earlier that the arrests of the men, aged 33, 39, 46 and 51, were part of a long-term investigation into support for overseas terrorism.

The four men are:

Arunachalam Chrishanthakumar, also known as AC Shanthan, 51, of Norbury, south London

Jegatheswaran Muraleetharan, also known as Muralee Tharan, 46, of Newtown

Jeyatheswaran Vythyatharan, also known as Vithy Tharan, 39, of Newtown

Murugesu Jegatheeswaran, also known as M Jegan, 33, of Mitcham, south London

The men are charged with conspiring to receive equipment for terrorist purposes between January 2003 and December 2006.

The equipment they are accused to possessing also included head torches, radios and navigation systems.

A fifth man has already been charged in connection with the investigation, Scotland Yard said.

The arrests are not linked to al-Qaeda activity, police added.