Innocent Algerians arrested over alleged threat to Pope

[Al-khiyal]

Five street cleaners held over 'Pope plot'

September 17, 2010 -- Five street cleaners have been arrested over a potential threat to the Pope, Sky News sources say. Armed counter-terror officers swooped on the central London agency to which they were registered in the early hours of the morning. The suspects, who are aged 26, 27, 36, 40 and 50, are being held and questioned under the Terrorism Act 2000. The firm where the arrests were made is now being searched, as well as homes in north and east London. Sky News crime correspondent Martin Brunt said he understood the men were North Africans employed by the agency to work for Westminster City Council. He said they had been about to start a day shift that would have included cleaning streets around the House of Commons, where the Pope is due to speak, when they were arrested. Brunt said: "I was at a briefing last week around the whole issue of the Pope's security and the point was made then that there was no known threat or intelligence to suggest a plot against the Pope. What the police are dealing with today is something that has cropped up in the last 24 hours."

Dr Leith Penny, Westminster City Council's director for city management, said: "The UK's security is obviously of critical importance and can never be taken for granted and so our congratulations must go to the police authorities for their swift action today. While police investigations are ongoing and no charges have been brought, we can confirm that the people at the centre of the investigation work for one of our contractors, Veolia Environmental Services, who employ 650 on-street staff to keep Westminster's streets clean and free from rubbish. Veolia and Westminster City Council work closely with the relevant authorities to constantly ensure that all the people working on their behalf are subject to right to work checks as prescribed by the Home Office to assess their eligibility to work in the country. "We are confident that these checks are robust and we will continue to work with the police and other authorities during this investigation." The Pope was told of the arrests this morning, but a spokesman for the Vatican confirmed the itinerary would not change. "We are calm, the Pope is happy and we go on with the same joy we have had until now," he said.

A spokesman for Scotland Yard said: "Initial searches have not uncovered any hazardous items. "Today's arrests were made after police received information. Following initial inquiries by detectives, a decision was made to arrest the five men. "Following today's arrests the policing arrangements for the Papal visit were reviewed and we are satisfied that our current policing plan remains appropriate." A spokesperson for the Catholic Bishops' Conference of England and Wales said: "We have absolute confidence in the security operation to protect both the Pope and the public. "The Pope is enjoying a wonderful visit, warmly welcomed wherever he goes."

[Al-khiyal]

[Al-khiyal]

Five Algerians arrested over threat to Pope

September 17, 2010 -- Five men have been arrested over a potential threat to the Pope Benedict XVI during his visit to the UK. Police said that the men were arrested by Scotland Yard detectives at 5.45am GMT "on suspicion of the commission, preparation or instigation of acts of terrorism". "The men are aged 26, 27, 36, 40, and 50, and were arrested at business premises in central London." The men - reported to be Algerians by Sky News - were taken to a central London police station to be interviewed by counter-terrorism officers.

The arrests have led to a review of the Pope's security arrangements, however police said they were satisfied that the current policing plan was appropriate. The Pope's itinerary has not changed and there is no change to the UK terror threat level. Vatican spokesman Father Federico Lombardi, said the Pope was calm and happy with the trip. "What we know is not much more than you know, but we can say that we are properly confident in the work of the police and Scotland Yard. The police have already said that there is no need to change the program of the Pope." The Catholic Church said earlier that it had "absolute confidence" in the security operation to protect the Pope.

Police are searching business premises and residential premises in north and east London but said initial searches failed to uncover any hazardous items. "Today's arrests were made after police received information. Following initial inquiries by detectives a decision was made to arrest the five men," police said in a statement. The security operation to protect the Pope during his trip was expected to cost about £1.5 million ($2.3 million). Police have been monitoring people they believe could threaten the Pope's safety, including those suffering from mental instability. Officers coordinated with the Vatican to discuss security arrangements for the Pope's visit.

[Al-khiyal]

Cinq personnes soupçonnées d'actes de terrorisme arrêtées à Londres en marge de la visite du pape

Vendredi 17 Septembre 2010 -- Cinq personnes soupçonnées d'actes de terrorisme ont été arrêtées vendredi à Londres, annonce la police. Ce complot présumé serait lié à la visite du pape Benoît XVI, qui est attendu à l'abbaye de Westminster en fin de journée. Agés de 26 à 50 ans, les suspects, des Algériens selon Sky News, ont été arrêtés dans le centre de Londres. Le dispositif de sécurité du pape reste adéquat, selon la police, qui n'a pas modifié le parcours du souverain pontife. "Le pape est calme et a confiance dans la police qui prend les mesures nécessaires", a affirmé le porte-parole du Vatican à Londres, Federico Lombardi.

[Al-khiyal]

Sixth arrest over pope 'terror' plot

September 17, 2010 -- Anti-terrorism police, on high alert during a visit by Pope Benedict to the British capital, have arrested a sixth man on suspicion of preparing an attack. Police moved quickly to make the pre-dawn arrests of five men who worked as street cleaners in the area in central London near parliament where the pontiff later spoke. The sixth suspect was arrested about eight hours later but it was not clear if he worked for the same cleaning company contracted by the Westminster area of London.

British broadcaster Sky cited unnamed sources as saying the six were Algerian but police said they could not comment on the report and the Algerian embassy said it had not been notified of the arrests of any of its nationals. Police, who searched eight homes and two businesses in the London, reviewed security arrangements after the arrests but decided they remained "appropriate". The BBC reported that the men had posed "a possible threat to the pope" but police refused to confirm or deny that. The Vatican said the trip would go ahead as planned and that the pope was calm.

The pope visited the parliament area on Friday (local time), where he met with the Archbishop of Canterbury and addressed British leaders. Hundreds of protesters along the route called him the "anti-Christ" and shouted "shame" as they held up pictures of children who were sexually abused by priests in a scandal that has rocked the Roman Catholic Church worldwide. Similar protests were held at a Catholic university the pope visited on Friday morning. The six unnamed men, aged between 26 and 50, were arrested on "suspicion of the commission, preparation or instigation of acts of terrorism," according to police statements.

Heavy security

The pope has been heavily protected during his four-day visit to Britain, travelling in a custom-built bulletproof car surrounded by security officials. Pope Benedict has not been the target of any serious attacks but his predecessor was almost killed in an assassination attempt in 1981 and was the subject of several other attacks. When the pope travels outside the Vatican he is protected by the host country's police forces plus a small contingent of about a dozen Vatican security men. The last terrorist attack in Britain was in July 2005, when four young British Islamists killed 52 people and wounded hundreds by setting off suicide bombs on three underground trains and a bus. "We are totally confident in police and there are no plans to change the program," said Father Federico Lombardi. He said the pope was calm and looking forward to the rest of the visit.

The pope held talks at Lambeth Palace with Archbishop of Canterbury Rowan Williams, spiritual head of the 80 million strong worldwide Anglican communion, and the two later attended an ecumenical prayer service. Archbishop Williams and the pope, whose Churches split in 1534 and are now divided over issues such as women priests and gay bishops, both spoke of the importance of faith in society and agreed that Christianity should not be seen as a threat to freedom. Later the pope told British leaders, including four former prime ministers, that religion had to be a "vital contributor" to national debate on a host of issues. During the trip, the pope has asked Britons to beware of what he has called "aggressive secularism" that seeks to marginalise the views of believers. On Thursday, the pope told reporters aboard the plane from Rome that he was shocked by what he called a "perversion" of the priesthood and acknowledged that the Church had not been sufficiently vigilant and decisive in dealing with the scandal.

[Al-khiyal]

Pape: une 6e personne arrêtée

Vendredi 17 Septembre 2010 -- Une sixième personne soupçonnée d'actes de terrorisme en liaison avec la visite en cours du pape Benoît XVI, un homme âgé de 29 ans, a été arrêté au nord de Londres en début d'après midi, a annoncé Scotland Yard. Le suspect a été arrêté vers 14h45 "en liaison avec cinq arrestations opérées dans le centre de Londres plus tôt dans la journée", a précisé la police. Tôt le matin, cinq hommes âgés de 26 à 50 ans, soupçonnés d'avoir "commandité, préparé ou inspiré des actes de terrorisme", avaient été interpellés par l'unité antiterroriste. Ces cinq hommes sont des employés de la société Veolia Environmental Services, appartenant au groupe français Veolia, chargée du nettoyage de la voirie pour le compte du Westminster City Council, a indiqué dans un communiqué cette autorité locale du quartier londonien de Westminister. C'est dans ce quartier que se trouve le Parlement britannique où le pape s'est rendu dans l'après-midi pour un discours historique. Le parcours du pape n'a pas été modifié. Selon le porte-parole du Vatican, "le pape est calme" et Benoît XVI a "confiance dans la police, qui prend les mesures nécessaires". D'après la chaîne de télévision SkyNews, les hommes arrêtés seraient des Algériens. La police s'est refusé à tout commentaire à ce propos. Les suspects étaient encore en cours d'interrogatoire en fin d'après-midi.

[Al-khiyal]

Sixth arrest in 'Pope plot' probe

September 17, 2010 -- A sixth man is being questioned by counter-terrorism detectives investigating a plot to attack the Pope. Scotland Yard said the suspect, aged 29, was held by officers at a home in north London shortly before 2pm on Friday. A spokesman said he was arrested under the Terrorism Act 2000 on suspicion of the commission, preparation or instigation of acts of terrorism. Police have been searching eight homes in north and east London and two business premises in central London, including a street cleaning depot. Five street cleaners were arrested at gunpoint as armed officers swooped on their base as they prepared to start their shift shortly before 6am on Friday. They work for Veolia Environmental Services, a contractor which employs 650 on-street staff to keep the streets of Westminster clean.

Searches of the depot and their homes in north and east London did not reveal any weapons or suspicious materials but senior detectives said they were compelled to act after a tip-off about suspicious activity. The security alert led to a review of the huge police operation surrounding the visit of Benedict XVI, but his itinerary went ahead as planned. His spokesman said the Pope was informed of the arrests but remained "totally calm" and will continue to enjoy his trip. The five suspects arrested earlier, aged 26, 27, 36, 40 and 50, were held on suspicion of preparing an act of terrorism under the Terrorism Act 2000. It is understood all five are of North African origin, including several from Algeria. Senior officers said there was no information ahead of the visit to suggest any "specific group" wanted to attack the Pope. But they warned people not to underestimate the "passion and the fervour" the visit would bring.