LONDON, U.K.- On Thursday, police in London arrested six people suspected in a terrorist operation. The five men and one woman were arrested in locations close to where the Olympics will take place, however police confirm that the plots in unrelated to the major event.
The six people brought in to custody range from the age of 18 to 30 are said to be a part of a Islamist fundamentalist group that remains unnamed. Among those arrested some possessed British citizenship.
The arrest took place in a dramatic fashion; police had to taser the suspects and took them in custody only after a little struggle. A witness told BBC News, "I looked out my window, saw loads of mini-explosions going off still, loads of black-clad figures milling around...One was halfway up a ladder, through a window, and you realize it's some sort of police operation going on instead of kids messing about with fireworks which is what you think when you first wake up."
The suspects are currently being held in a prison in South East London. Police say that arrests were "significant" as it was a part of a larger on-going operation involving the MI5, the national security service.
Reports suggest that the U.K. Terrorism alert is at level "substantial" implying that there is a strong possibility of an attack.
Head of MI5, Jonathan Evans, released a statement on the country's high terrorism level, "In back rooms and in cars and on the streets of this country there is no shortage of individuals talking about wanting to mount terrorist attacks here. The threat is real and remains with us today," as reported by the New York Times.
