FOREST GATE DETAINEES RELEASED WITHOUT CHARGE
(8 June 2006)

Two brothers from Forest Gate (London) who were arrested under the Terrorism Act 2000 on 2 June 2006 were released by the MPS without charge on Friday 9 June. The Muslim Council of Britain welcomed the news stating “The nature of last week’s raid and the circumstances surrounding the shooting of Abdul Kahar had created considerable unease in the Muslim community, particularly among the younger generation. This decision to release the two brothers without charge confirms their innocence and we hope that the appropriate lessons will be learned by all involved in this tragic incident."

"This is not a matter of apportioning blame, but of trying to ensure that the necessary foundations are in place to maintain trust and build a genuine partnership between the Muslim community and the police to defeat a terror threat that looks as if it will be with us for some years to come,” said Dr Muhammad Abdul Bari, Secretary-General of the Muslim Council of Britain.

At a press conference, the MPS said that the intelligence received by police continues to be developed and the MPS will continue to exhaust all lines of inquiry. The MPS had also completed a search at a house in Lansdown Road, Forest Gate. "We appreciate the police operation has caused inconvenience and disruption to the occupants of the house. We will be contacting the owners to make appropriate arrangements for the property to be handed back to them. We will also be undertaking appropriate restoration work in consultation with the owners."

Assistant Commissioner Andy Hayman, Specialist Operations, said: "We are a week on from last week's events. There is an ongoing investigation and some of the comments around that investigation are very limited. It's been a time of reflection since last week. And our reflection has been informed by contact with the community. Both Rose and I have met regularly with them and some of the comments that they've given to us we've considered and we're going to now explain how we respond to some concerns that they have. Firstly we have been really struck with the level of support from the community - this has ranged from providing refreshments to officers working on cordons through to regular meetings with community representatives and ourselves. For that I thank you.

But I am also aware that in mounting this operation, we have caused disruption and inconvenience to many residents in Newham and for that, I apologise. In tackling the terrorist threat in the United Kingdom the police service is trying its utmost to work closely with all communities but in particular the Muslim community.

Given the nature of the threat I understand that some communities may be feeling confused or indeed angry with how the police are trying to ensure all our safety. I must emphasise the police operations are not targeted against any community or section of the community. We are working tirelessly to target criminals who are intent on spreading fear and terror amongst us all. How do we do that?

There are number of ways in which information is received by the police ranging from a telephone call to the Anti-Terrorist Hotline or more sophisticated means. Last week's operation was in response to very specific intelligence that if not acted upon would have posed an unacceptable threat to public safety particularly in that area.

I have already said earlier in the week that we had no choice but to take the action that we did in trying to prove or disprove this intelligence. To do otherwise we would have been failing in our duties to make London safer and protect all Londoners.

Conducting the house search and interviewing those that have been arrested are the immediate steps we take to prove or disprove that intelligence. I anticipate we will be completing our search in the next couple of days and therefore the neighbourhood will be able to return to normality very soon. We will continue to exhaust all lines of investigation until we are satisfied that the intelligence has been supported or refuted.

What that means is that whilst the threat of terrorism exists, similar police operations will be required. I can, however, give you my personal assurance that, in every case, before any decision to act is taken the most thorough and professional scrutiny of all available options will be undertaken - decisions will not be taken lightly

I am aware that there remains a great deal of public concern about the way in which the operation was carried out, and I want to clarify some of these details.

Having made a decision to mount an operation the planning must then take care of those in the premises, the wider public as well as police officer safety. The tragic murder of a police officer in 2004 who was engaged in similar circumstances underlines the importance of careful planning.

A feature of last week's operation was the style and protective measures that were necessary given the nature of the intelligence and the threat to the local community.

In addition to managing those issues, officers were required to care for members of the public taken from the house who are not involved, secure arrests, prevent any escapes of suspects, perform initial searches of the property for immediate hazards, conduct cordons to ensure the scene was secure, manage traffic diversions caused by the necessary road closures, and to work with the local community to provide advice and reassurance. Clearly this was not hundreds of police officers entering one house.

I am aware of the claims made by some commentators that 3,000 Muslim homes have been raided since September 11 2001. I simply do not recognise this figure but I can assure you that no individual or family are targeted by police because of their race or their faith. Our operations and investigations are always intelligence and evidence led.

As we speak, more than 50 people are waiting trial in the United Kingdom for terrorism offences.

The attacks in London last July demonstrated that terrorism affects every single community not just in London but across the UK.

We are working closely with colleagues around the UK to monitor community concerns and make sure we are aware of, and can respond appropriately to, any emerging tensions.

Terrorism affects us all and therefore we must all pull together in a caring and tolerant manner. This is not the time for conflict and anger. The police service must understand the impact of our actions on the community. Equally the community needs to understand the nature of the threat and that can only be achieved through constructive and regular dialogue at all levels which we are committed to do."

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