Seven People Arrested in Britain on Charges of Terrorist Intent

Six men and one woman were arrested Sunday and Monday in the British city of Birmingham on suspicions relating to a “large, intelligence-led counterterrorism operation.”

The men and woman, ages 25 to 32, are accused of “suspicion of preparing or instigating an act of terror.”

“The operation is in its early stages, so we are unable to go into detail at this time about the nature of the suspected offenses,” Marcus Beale, West Midlands assistant chief constable, said in a statement to the New York Times. “However, I believe it was necessary to take action at this time in order to ensure public safety.”

Those arrested have refused to provide any information as to their intentions.

It was not revealed whether or not those arrested were members of an Islamic extremist group or if it was related to the conference of the Liberal Democrats.

A similar arrest of five men happened in April, but the accused were later released.

Another arrest occurred last December, in which nine men were suspected of terroristic plans. The men, five of whom were from Bangladesh, were accused of conspiring to commit Christmastime acts of terror at places such as the American Embassy and the London Stock Exchange.