A 14-year-old boy has been mistakenly arrested during a major UK police operation into a suspected terrorist plot, the Metropolitan Police have confirmed.
Five men, four of them Iranian nationals, were arrested on Saturday during coordinated raids across the UK, as part of an investigation into a “suspected plot to target a specific premises.”
During one arrest in Stockport, Greater Manchester, two men and a teenage boy were detained after they “appeared to have run away.” All three were later released after being cleared of any involvement.
The boy told the Manchester Evening News he fled because he feared being kidnapped when armed officers jumped out of an unmarked vehicle. He said they “put a gun in his face and ordered him to ‘get on the ground’ before pulling him down and putting a knee on his neck.”
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In a statement, the Met said, “As part of the proactive Counter Terrorism Policing investigation into a suspected terrorist plot, a man was arrested in the Stockport area on Saturday, 3 May.
“Three people in the vicinity appeared to run as the arrest was underway. Due to the seriousness of the investigation and public safety concerns, they were detained.
“Officers later confirmed the two adult males and 14-year-old boy were not linked to the matter and were released.”
Residents in Cheadle Hulme described the incident as distressing. Sarah Owen-Jones said her son broke down in tears after being trapped in a park with friends as armed police moved in.
The five arrested suspects remain in custody while searches continue at addresses in Greater Manchester, London, and Swindon.
Separately, three more Iranian nationals were arrested in London on Saturday in an unrelated counter-terror investigation. They were held under Section 27 of the National Security Act 2023, which applies to suspected “foreign power threat activity.”
(Sky News)
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