Terror police arrest seven over Syria fraud allegations

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Counter-terrorism police investigating a "large-scale" fraud linked to extremists travelling to Syria have arrested six men and one woman.

Officers from the Metropolitan Police's counter-terrorism command attended six addresses in London and one address in Luton, Scotland Yard says.

The men were arrested for conspiracy to commit fraud and money laundering and the woman for money laundering.

The fraud involves elderly people being cold-called, police said.

Officers said "unsuspecting, vulnerable" elderly victims were called on their home phone by someone impersonating a police officer.

Three men aged 23, one of 21 and another of 28, along with a woman aged 32, were all arrested at addresses in north London while a 38-year-old man was arrested in Luton.

Child abduction arrests

A 46-year-old woman was also arrested at the same address as one of the 23-year-old men, in connection with an unrelated investigation, on suspicion of an offence under section two of the Child Abduction Act 1984. She has been bailed.

The arrest is in relation to an investigation into a young girl who is believed to have travelled to Turkey, whose current whereabouts are unknown, police said.

Two women, aged 20 and 21, were previously arrested as part of this investigation in February and have been bailed to a date in late June.

All of the new arrests were made on Wednesday morning.