Hackney woman arrested in London anti-terrorism raids

A 22-year old woman was arrested in Hackney in the early hours of Saturday 7 July.

The as of yet unnamed woman was arrested on suspicion of the commission, preparation or instigation of acts of terrorism under the Terrorism Act 2000­, a spokesperson for the Metropolitan Police said.

The arrest was made by the Metropolitan Police’s Counter Terrorism Command in cooperation with MI5 and follows weeks of surveillance.

The incident is linked to a string of residential searches and arrests made on Thursday 5 July, which saw six people detained and has left five in custody, one of whom is the high profile Muslim convert Richard Dart, now Salahuddin al-Britani, subject of the BBC Three documentary “My Brother The Islamist”.

Details of the alleged plot have not been released although it is understood the arrests were not designed to prevent an imminent attack, but rather to minimise the perceived risks of leaving the suspects at liberty.

Despite the extent and timing of the operation the Metropolitan police have denied any links to the Olympic or Paralympic Games, although it is believed the alleged plan did involve UK targets.

The woman in question has not yet been charged however a warrant of further detention was granted on Sunday 8 July, at Westminster Magistrates’ Court.

The warrant expires on Friday 13 July.