12 men arrested over suspected UK terrorism plot

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Fox News:

LONDON – Police arrested 12 menin early morning raids on three cities Monday aimed at thwarting a major new terrorism plot against British targets.

Assistant commissioner John Yates, Britain's senior counterterrorism police officer, said the suspects were detained in London, in the central English city of Stoke-on-Trent and in Cardiff, Wales.

"The operation is in its early stages so we are unable to go into detail at this time about the suspected offenses," Yates said in a statement. "However, I believe it was necessary at this time to take action in order to ensure public safety."

Police confirmed that the men were detained by unarmed officers — indicating that any attack was unlikely to have been imminent.

The arrests follow several weeks of surveillance and are not believed to be linked to the suicide bombing in Sweden on Dec. 11, or to recent concerns aired by European and U.S officials over purported plots to carry out Mumbai-style commando attacks on European cities.

Police said 11 of the suspects were arrested at or close to their homes at around 5 a.m., while the remaining man was detained at a property in the central English city of Birmingham.