Three men in Greater Manchester arrested on suspicion of terrorism offences

Three men in Greater Manchester have been arrested on suspicion of the commission, preparation and instigation of acts of terrorism.

At around 7.30pm on Wednesday (May 8), four police warrants were carried out at homes in the Bolton, Great Lever, Abram and Hindley areas of the region.

The three men, aged 35, 36 and 51, were arrested at separate locations and have been taken into custody for questioning, Greater Manchester Police have confirmed.

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A number of scenes remain in place at the four addresses, that police have not disclosed, as enquiries continue. Greater Manchester Police said efforts are being made to "minimise disruption to local residents as much as possible."

The force said the arrests come following an investigation and "detailed planning", but that no further details about the nature of the offences could be disclosed at this stage.

Assistant Chief Constable Rob Potts, who holds responsibility for counter terrorism policing in the north west, said: “This evening we have executed a number of planned warrants as part of an ongoing counter terrorism investigation.

“Three men have been taken into custody for questioning and scenes remain in place as we conduct further enquiries. Today’s activity has been the culmination of much detailed planning and we have put measures in place to minimise disruption to local residents as much as possible.

“I understand that any time arrests of this nature are made it will cause concerns and people will naturally have questions. Although we can’t go into specific details of the investigation at this stage, I want to reassure members of the public that we do not currently believe there to be any wider threat linked to today’s activity.

“Further detail will be released where appropriate as the investigation progresses.”