Men detained suspected of fundraising for terrorist purposes, travelling to Pakistan to undertake terrorist training. PHOTO: REUTERS/FILE
The 29-year-old British Pakistani Naveed Baluch, a butcher who had recently returned from a visit to his wife in Pakistan, was arrested after police smashed down the door of his local authority flat in Peckham, south-east London, on the evening of October 13.
Officers also searched six addresses across London as part of an operation to simultaneously detain a group of suspected terrorists. It was feared that an attack similar to the Kenyan mall massacre was being planned on British soil.
The other three suspects were a 28-year-old British Azerbaijani, a 25-year-old British Turkish and a 25-year-old British Algerian.
According to Scotland Yard the detainees were held because of suspicion that they were involved in acts of terrorism and were being interrogated at a south London police station.
'We believe they posed a threat to the public. That doesn't necessarily mean an attack was imminent,' a police source had said.
Baluch’s 30-year-old sister Gulsabah a saleswoman from Dulwich, had said she was shocked.
She had stated, ‘He plays football every Sunday and supports Chelsea . . . He doesn’t go to the mosque and isn’t even religious so I’m shocked if this is true.’
Eyewitnesses had also emerged as the operation continued.
The Evening Standard had reported the Metropolitan Police was acting on intelligence that the men had access to firearms.
COMMENTS (27)
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doesn’t go to the mosque and isn’t even religious so I’m shocked if this is true
@waterbottle
reminds me of some one from the bygone era...but if I mention it ET won't publish:-( my comment.
Also surprised to see only one of them is of Pakistani origin.
@Talha Rizvi: "Take back the millions of illegal Bangladeshis living in our country if you are so honorable"
Really? If a Pakistani happens to speak Bengali that makes him an illegal Bangladeshi? I guess you consider M M Alam as one of those? If India used the same type of bogus logic as you are using, it would have called the 180 million Indian Muslims as illegal Pakistanis. But we do not see it that way. Our Indian Muslims are as Indians as anyone else who practices any other religion or for that matter happens to be an atheist.
@Pakistan Firing on loc is not terrorism at all !!! Firing on border or loc is work of army, whichever country there is in this world.
Infiltrating loc with guns in hand and killing people is terrorism, When people will have some basic common sense !!! You think that you should be allowed to entered into kashmir and mumbai, and we shouldnt fire even at loc !!!! Great, what an expectation
Pakistan is considered an epi center of terrorism, no doubt about that.Any terrorist activity through out the world have one way or the other link trace to pakistan.No wonder every one in the world hate pakistan
@Kamran: First of all let me correct you, it's not Indian Occupied Kashmir, it's called Jammu & Kashmir. I would say you have even betrayed them by meddling into our affairs, by sending in terrorists to J&K. Voice of Kashmiries would have been more prominent had Pakistan not interfered in it but it has got reduced to issue of cross border insurgency.
Kamran bhai first remove your Army from our Kashmir and also remove Pakistanies who are staying there then ask for UN resolution.
Now you are saying you cant even propagandize.
Muffarnagar was a sad part which was exploited by Politicians.
@Mr. Singh: What do you say about the indian occupied kashmir? What about the UN resolutions about this? What about "Mukti Bahini" in Bengal 1971?
"Propaganda' is an important part of world politics.
Do you expect that the recent issue of muzaffar nagar will produce nationalists?
@M. Emad: A lot of fundamentalists in UK are also of Bangladeshi origins and a suicide bomber in Karachi was also fro your country. Take back the millions of illegal Bangladeshis living in our country if you are so honorable.
so now we can say all terrorists are pakistani and muslims without any doubt.
British arrested pakistani terrorists no one pakistani talking about british and blaming. so why still doubt in pakistan that pakistan not exporting terrorism and pakistan is epicentre of terrorism.
''British Pakistani among 4 arrested in London anti-terror raids''' is no news now a days as British-Pakistanis are connected in about 99% terrorism in UK
''British Pakistani NOT among 4 arrested in London anti-terror raids''' would really be a Headline news!
sad to read that in defence Gulsabah said that his brother is not a terrorist as he was not religious and did not even go to mosque. Since when being religious and going to mosque become a qualification on being a terrorist.
Muslims all over the world are suffering as we have stopped going to mosque all 5 times / day
It's not even a news. News is somthing that's exceptional, out of ordinary, not what is normal and common place.
@indians on this post. Stop the firing on the loc, India is the biggest terrorist here. What happened to the stats here, cat got ur tongue. People that live in glass houses don't throw stones at other houses
@Kamran: @Kamran: Yes you are right Pakistan image has been destroyed by your enemies. But have seriously wondered who are these enemies!! Enemies are there in Pakistan itself. 1) Image of Pakistan would not have been damaged if your Army & ISI had not sheltered Osama
2)Image of Pakistan would not have been damaged if you had not sheltered Dawood and you still are.
3)Image of Pakistan would not have been damaged if you had taken any strict action against Hafiz Saed. ( Now don't tell court has acquitted him, court has acquitted many other top criminals in Pakistan and yourself admit that)
4)Image of Pakistan would not have been damaged if you had closed down terror training camps.
5)Image of Pakistan would not have been damaged if you had not started cross-border insurgency.
You guys BLAME India for degrading you, but have you wondered why World agrees India's view but not Pakistan. India is only showing to the world what you are doing.
You guys say, India is involved in Baluchistan and other terrorist activities, I say show it to the world. Let Indians also see what proof you have.
@Kamran: Yes you are right Pakistan image has been destroyed by your enemies. But have seriously wondered who are these enemies!! Enemies are there in Pakistan itself. 1) Image of Pakistan would not have been damaged if your Army & ISI had not sheltered Osama
2)Image of Pakistan would not have been damaged if you had not sheltered Dawood and you still are.
3)Image of Pakistan would not have been damaged if you had taken any strict action against Hafiz Saed. ( Now don't tell court has acquitted him, court has acquitted many other top criminals in Pakistan and yourself admit that)
4)Image of Pakistan would not have been damaged if you had closed down terror training camps.
5)Image of Pakistan would not have been damaged if you had not started cross-border insurgency.
You guys BLAME India for degrading you, but have you wondered why World agrees India's view but not Pakistan. India is only showing to the world what you are doing.
You guys say, India is involved in Baluchistan and other terrorist activities, I say show it to the world. Let Indians also see what proof you have.
@Kamran: Again another excuse for getting caught.How can you blame Britain for this.they need to take care of ther people.Not offer them as fodder for some nut or terrorist causes.
"......It doesn’t take a lot of time for one to go from stage 1 to stage 4."
Very nicely put, "Water Bottle."
There is always a Pakistani connection.
The images of pakistan has been damaged by our enemies.
They were "peaceful" pakistanis. Not terrorists.
We Pakistaní govt should learn from them...this is called preventing loss of human lives, because they take all such info seriously, because they valué human lives.
This is besides the fact that 75% of all terror related investigations in 2012 in UK, could be traced to Pakistan. You shouldn't have any problem with the civilized world referring to Pak as the epicentre of global terrorism, after all, its backed by statistics. No wonder the whole world looks at you with suspicion; you cant blame them for valuing the welbeing of their own citizens rather than valuing Pakistan's human rights because you neither have a value nor you are humans, therefore, no rights for you. Drones and more drones!
"She had stated, ‘He plays football every Sunday and supports Chelsea . . . He doesn’t go to the mosque and isn’t even religious so I’m shocked if this is true.’"
Ms. Gulsabha, why are you shocked?
An overwhelming majority of Pakistanis are right sympathizers.
A majority of Pakistanis are right wingers.
A slightly less than the majority of Pakistanis are extremists and terrorist sympathizers.
A minority of Pakistanis are terrorists.
It doesn't take a lot of time for one to go from stage 1 to stage 4.
Good job done. Keep it up!
This is how Police act on the gathering of information of Intelligence Agencies.
And look at the Pakistani Intelligence Agencies?
The people employed in Pakistan Intelligence Agencies are just drawing salaries and nothing more.
So the intelligence agencies don't have any thing like feedback to give it to Police and this is the core reason that the country is facing extremism and terrorism every now and then and at each nook and corner in Pakistan.