Breaking News:Massive Police Raids On Suspected Terrorists Across The UK-Counter-terror police strike force arrest five men at sites in England.

Massive Police Swoop on Suspected Terrorists Across The UK-Counter-terror police arrest five men in sites across England.

Raids took place in north London, Manchester and Peterborough

Four men have been arrested in different parts of England over a suspected terror plot. The men, aged between 19 and 23, have been held on suspicion of the commission, preparation or instigation of an act of terror, while a fifth man, 19, was arrested on suspicion of encouraging terrorism.

The raids in Manchester, Peterborough and north London on Monday were part of a pre-planned operation and were not linked to either the London Bridge terror attack last month or to New Year’s Eve, said the Metropolitan police.

In a statement, the Met said: “Officers from the Met’s counter-terrorism command along with colleagues from the counter-terrorism policing north-west unit and the eastern region special operations unit CTP have arrested five men on suspicion of terrorism offences.

“The men were arrested on the morning of Monday 30 December at addresses in north London, Manchester and the Peterborough areas. All five men remain in police custody at this time.”

Those arrested for plotting a terror attack included a 21-year-old in Manchester, a 19-year-old in Peterborough, and two men, aged 22 and 23, in north London. The teenager suspected of encouraging terrorism was arrested in Peterborough.

                     Officers continue to search addresses in each area.

A total of 259 terror arrests were made across the UK in the year to September, but only 88 resulted in a charge.

White people made up the largest group of suspects (41 per cent) followed by Asian people (37 per cent) and black people (9 per cent), the Home Office said.

The majority of suspects were British, with other nationalities including Algerian, Pakistani, Iraqi, Iranian and Somalian.

Security services have foiled 24 terror plots – 16 Islamist and eight right wing – since the Westminster attack in March 2017.