POLICE have arrested 12 people amid an extreme right-wing terror threat against an Islamic event in England.
The UK Ijtima event in Shrubland Hall, Suffolk, had to be closed early on Sunday amid warnings from officers.
Three of the 12 suspects were arrested in Surrey on Sunday on suspicion of conspiracy to murder, police said.
Who has been arrested and why?
Three of the suspects – men aged 55, 60 and 82 – were arrested on suspicion of conspiracy to murder in Surrey on Sunday.
A 48-year-old woman was arrested in east London on suspicion of assisting an offender.
Eight other men were held under section 41 of the Terrorism Act.
They are two men aged 27 and 29 who were arrested in Surrey, two men both aged 42 held in Essex, a 27-year-old man arrested in Ipswich, and a 35-year-old man in Greater Manchester, who were all arrested on Sunday.
The remaining two men aged, 31 and 33, were held in London on Monday.
What are Counter Terrorism police saying?
Commander Helen Flanagan, head of Counter Terrorism Policing London said: “After becoming aware of a potential serious threat towards the Islamic event in Suffolk, we have moved extremely quickly to make a number of arrests in various locations across the country.
“I would like to thank colleagues in Suffolk Police for their ongoing support, which led to the declaration of a major incident on Sunday in response to this.
“I’d also like to thank the event organisers and the public who have been impacted by this.
“I know this news may be concerning to the public and particularly those in the Muslim community, given that we believe the intended target was an Islamic event.
“But as we have shown, we will not hesitate to act if there is any potential threat, no matter who or what the potential target may be.
“I’m also pleased to say that although the event ended slightly earlier than planned, it nevertheless passed off safely.
“Sadly, this activity is a stark reminder that the threat level in the UK is at ‘severe’, so we urge the public to remain vigilant and report anything if it doesn’t look or feel right.”
What is the Home Secretary saying?
Home Secretary Shabana Mahmood said police are investigating a credible threat against the event.
She said: “I know this is deeply concerning news for British Muslims.
“We must stand against hatred and we must unite around our shared belief in a country that is open, generous and tolerant to all our communities.”
How much of a threat is right-wing terror in the UK?
According to MI5, right-wing terror can be hard to address because it is often not linked to structured groups, but individuals who form "loose networks", often taking place online.
"The ideologies and grievance narratives are varied, wide-ranging and often overlapping," they state. "They can encompass elements of cultural nationalism, white nationalism, and white supremacism and are often fuelled by conspiracy theories.
"Extreme right-wing influencers operating globally online seek to fuel grievances and amplify conspiracy theories. Much of the volume of the threat is from self-radicalised terrorists seeking to conduct low-sophistication attacks. Generally, individuals will decide themselves to conduct an attack, rather than the attack being directed by a terrorist group. This can make it harder to identify terrorist activity."
