Twelve people arrested after Islamic event in Suffolk was forced to end due to 'potential serious threat'

An investigation by Counter Terrorism Policing (CTP) London is underway

Twelve people have been arrested after an Islamic event in Suffolk was forced to end due to a "serious threat".

Suffolk Police was advised to close the UK Ijtima festival earlier than planned after a suspected threat directed towards the event at Shubland Hall over the weekend.

An investigation by Counter Terrorism Policing (CTP) London has led officers to believe the incident was extreme right-wing terrorism-related.

Those arrested include a 27-year-old man in Ipswich, a 35-year-old man in the Greater Manchester area, two 42-year-old men in Essex and five men in Surrey - all aged 27, 29, 55, 60 and 82 - on Saturday.

Yesterday, a 33-old-man was arrested in south east London while another man, 31, and woman, 48, were arrested yesterday.

Commander Helen Flanagan, Head of CTP, said: "After becoming aware of a potential serious threat towards the Islamic event in Suffolk, we have moved extremely quickly to make a number of arrests in various locations across the country.

"I would like to thank colleagues in Suffolk Police for their ongoing support, which led to the declaration of a major incident on Sunday in response to this.

"I’d also like to thank the event organisers and the public who have been impacted by this."

Commander Flanagan said the news may be "concerning to particularly those in the Muslim community" as the event targeted was an Islamic event.

Nevertheless, she added: "But as we have shown, we will not hesitate to act if there is any potential threat, no matter who or what the potential target may be.

"I’m also pleased to say that although the event ended slightly earlier than planned, it nevertheless passed off safely."

She continued that the incident was a "stark reminder" that the UK's current terrorism threat level remains at "severe", adding: "We urge the public to remain vigilant and report anything if it doesn’t look or feel right."

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Assistant Chief Constable Alice Scott from Suffolk Constabulary confirmed there would a visible police presence in the area over the next few days.

ACC Scott added: "The situation was declared a major incident early on Sunday morning with a multi-agency response convened to ensure a safe and properly co-ordinated departure from the event of the 15,000 attendees."

"This was a complex and fast moving scenario with the priority of all the agencies working together to ensure the safety of all the attendees," she continued.

"The Suffolk Resilience Forum wants to thank the organiser and attendees for remaining calm in very difficult circumstances, and we can reassure the public that everyone left the location safely."

Meanwhile, the Home Secretary, Shabana Mahmood, urged Britain to "stand against hatred" and heaped praise onto the police for tackling a "credible threat" to the UK Ijtima festival.

Adding that their action "undoubtedly saved lives", she continued: "I know this is deeply concerning news for British Muslims.

"We must stand against hatred and we must unite around our shared belief in a country that is open, generous and tolerant to all our communities."

The 12 people arrested as part of the CTP's investigation includes five in Surrey, two in Essex, two in east London, one in south east London, one in the Greater Manchester area, and another in Ipswich.

Eight of the 12 who were arrested and detained under section 41 of the Terrorism Act 2000 include:

Three more men, 55, 60 and 82, were arrested in Surrey yesterday on suspicion of conspiracy to murder.

Another 48-year-old woman was arrested in east London on suspicion of assisting an offender.