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| Version 8 | Version 9 |
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| Terror raid men face deportation | Terror raid men face deportation |
| (29 minutes later) | |
| Nine Pakistani nationals arrested over a suspected bomb plot in the UK have been released without charge by police but now face possible deportation. | Nine Pakistani nationals arrested over a suspected bomb plot in the UK have been released without charge by police but now face possible deportation. |
| Two more men are still being questioned under the Terrorism Act, while a 12th has already been handed over to the UK Border Agency for possible deportation. | Two more men are still being questioned under the Terrorism Act, while a 12th has already been handed over to the UK Border Agency for possible deportation. |
| Police raided properties in Liverpool, Manchester and Lancashire on 8 April. | Police raided properties in Liverpool, Manchester and Lancashire on 8 April. |
| A lawyer for three of the men said no wrongdoing had been discovered, and they were in Britain legally. | A lawyer for three of the men said no wrongdoing had been discovered, and they were in Britain legally. |
| 'Public safety' | 'Public safety' |
| A Home Office spokesman said: "We are seeking to remove these individuals on grounds of national security. | A Home Office spokesman said: "We are seeking to remove these individuals on grounds of national security. |
| "The government's highest priority is to protect public safety. Where a foreign national poses a threat to this country we will seek to exclude or to deport, where this is appropriate." | "The government's highest priority is to protect public safety. Where a foreign national poses a threat to this country we will seek to exclude or to deport, where this is appropriate." |
| Of the 12 men arrested in the raids, 11 were Pakistani nationals, 10 held student visas and one was from Britain. | Of the 12 men arrested in the raids, 11 were Pakistani nationals, 10 held student visas and one was from Britain. |
| FROM THE TODAY PROGRAMME More from Today programme | FROM THE TODAY PROGRAMME More from Today programme |
| Of the two men still being questioned by police, one is a Pakistani national and the other is British. | Of the two men still being questioned by police, one is a Pakistani national and the other is British. |
| The lawyer, Mohammed Ayub, said in a statement: "After 13 days in custody, during which no evidence of any wrongdoing was disclosed, they [his three clients] have now been released without charge. | The lawyer, Mohammed Ayub, said in a statement: "After 13 days in custody, during which no evidence of any wrongdoing was disclosed, they [his three clients] have now been released without charge. |
| "Our clients have no criminal history, they were here lawfully on student visas and all were pursuing their studies and working part-time. Our clients are neither extremists nor terrorists." | "Our clients have no criminal history, they were here lawfully on student visas and all were pursuing their studies and working part-time. Our clients are neither extremists nor terrorists." |
| Inayat Bunglawala, of the Muslim Council of Britain, said the government had been "dishonourable" over the way it had dealt with the men. | |
| Mr Bunglawala told the BBC that when the arrests "took place in very dramatic circumstances of students being arrested at university and thrown to the floor" the public had been assured the men posed a serious threat. | Mr Bunglawala told the BBC that when the arrests "took place in very dramatic circumstances of students being arrested at university and thrown to the floor" the public had been assured the men posed a serious threat. |
| He said it was unacceptable for the government to make these sorts of prejudicial remarks from the outset, find insufficient evidence to bring charges, and then deport the men anyway. | He said it was unacceptable for the government to make these sorts of prejudicial remarks from the outset, find insufficient evidence to bring charges, and then deport the men anyway. |
| 'Premature remarks' | |
| "Politics should not be interfering with what is primarily a legal process," he said. | "Politics should not be interfering with what is primarily a legal process," he said. |
| "What we don't want is people becoming cynical as a result of politician's premature remarks and thinking: 'well, that's what they said last time'." | |
| BBC security correspondent Gordon Corera said: "Counter-terrorism officers have told me they still think it was the right thing to do to move to arrest them." | BBC security correspondent Gordon Corera said: "Counter-terrorism officers have told me they still think it was the right thing to do to move to arrest them." |
| But, he added: "I think there will be a sense of a need to learn some lessons from this is in terms of public presentation." | But, he added: "I think there will be a sense of a need to learn some lessons from this is in terms of public presentation." |
| WHAT IS THE WORK OF THE UK BORDER AGENCY? The purpose of the UK Border Agency is to secure the UK's borders and control migrationIt is a fully executive agency under the Home OfficeIt is a law enforcement agency with powers to make arrests, bring prosecutions and hand out fines for breaking UK border and immigration lawsSecures borders using technology to screen high-risk individualsControls the number of people who enter the UK using a points systemCounts the number of people going in and out of the UKTargets criminals, deports foreign criminals and takes action against employers who hire illegal immigrants | |
| A Greater Manchester Police spokeswoman said searches were continuing at a property in Cheetham Hill, Manchester. | A Greater Manchester Police spokeswoman said searches were continuing at a property in Cheetham Hill, Manchester. |
| "These arrests were carried out after a number of UK agencies gathered information that indicated a potential risk to public safety," she said. | "These arrests were carried out after a number of UK agencies gathered information that indicated a potential risk to public safety," she said. |
| "Officers are continuing to review a large amount of information gathered as part of this investigation. | "Officers are continuing to review a large amount of information gathered as part of this investigation. |
| "Investigations of this nature are extremely complex. We remain grateful to the support and co-operation of the communities affected." | "Investigations of this nature are extremely complex. We remain grateful to the support and co-operation of the communities affected." |
| The raids had to be brought forward following a blunder by the UK's most senior counter-terrorism officer. | The raids had to be brought forward following a blunder by the UK's most senior counter-terrorism officer. |
| Assistant Commissioner Bob Quick quit his post a day after the operation - after he had accidentally revealed operational details to photographers from a document he was carrying. | Assistant Commissioner Bob Quick quit his post a day after the operation - after he had accidentally revealed operational details to photographers from a document he was carrying. |
| However, Home Secretary Jacqui Smith told MPs on Monday the error had not damaged the operation and the only impact had been that the raids had been brought forward "by a matter of hours". |