Muslim leader criticises arrests

Two of the men were arrested in Blackburn on Tuesday

An Islamic spokesman has said Muslims view the arrests of 12 men in anti-terror raids with "extreme suspicion".

Two were arrested in Cherry Tree, Blackburn, on Tuesday afternoon. They were still being questioned by detectives in London on Thursday.

Ibrahim Master, chairman of the Lancashire Council of Mosques, claimed 600 Muslims had been arrested under the Terrorism Act 2000 in the past year.

But he said all of them had been released without charge.

Mr Master said: "The Muslim community is beginning to view these type of high profile arrests with extreme suspicion.

The British Muslim community is not a threat to the national security of Britain Ibrahim Master, chairman of Lancashire Council of Mosques

"In fact, we understand only two people to date have been convicted in this country under the Act.

"Hence, we wonder if there is some form of political motivation behind them."

He added that arrests, and Muslims being stopped and searched by police, created a "false impression" that there was a "loyalty problem within the British Muslim population".

He said: "The British Muslim community is not a threat to the national security of Britain.

"The overwhelming majority of us are perfectly law-abiding citizens who are committed to making pluralist Britain a safe and peaceful place in which to live.

"The Muslim community is just as proud to be British as it is to be Muslims."