Anti-terror unit resumes homes hunt

Jul 2 2007 by Liza Williams and Mark Johnson, Liverpool Daily Post

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ANTI-TERROR police will today resume searches of two Liverpool homes after swoop-ing on the city centre to arrest a man hours after a blazing Jeep ploughed into Glasgow Airport.

The finger-tip searches began after police raids on houses in Ramilies Road near Penny Lane in Allerton and Hather-ley Street in Toxteth, early yesterday.

Late on Saturday night, part of Liver-pool city centre was cordoned off as Merseyside Police, acting on behalf of the Metropolitan Police, surrounded a 4x4 close to the Adelphi Hotel, Lime Street, and ordered the occupant to get out.

He was later confirmed by police to be a 26-year-old man, one of five in total to have been arrested in connection with the failed car bombings at Glasgow Airport and London’s West End.

A spokesman said: “A car was stopped on Lime Street as part of a policing operation and the man was arrested.

“As a consequence, the immediate area was evacuated, including the Adelphi hotel. A cordon was put in place as a safety precaution while the car was removed for forensic examination.

“Lime Street station and the transport infrastructure was not under threat at any time. The arrest was made on behalf of Metropolitan Police Service counter-terrorism command.”

Eyewitnesses in Lime Street described how armed police swooped on a three-door 4x4 jeep after 11pm on Saturday.

They said police pointed guns at the vehicle as the man, who appeared to be of Middle Eastern origin, was told to get out of the car outside the X-In-The-City lap-dancing nightclub. He put his hands on his head before he was arrested.

Meanwhile, holidaymakers and revel-lers were evacuated from the Adelphi hotel and nearby McDonald’s and the Vines pub opposite.

A doorman at The Vines, who did not want to be named, said: “The road was closed off from the Empire Theatre to Caesar’s Palace restaurant, on Renshaw Street. A policeman got out of a car and pulled out a microphone.

“He shouted for everyone to evacuate the building and area. Everyone left and the pub was closed. We stayed an hour as a forensic team searched the blue 4x4 jeep which the man was in.

“There was an unmarked police car and four officers got out with guns. The road reopened at 2pm.”

A member of staff at Lime Street station said: “There were five red lights on him with police pointing guns at him. The police told him to get out slowly and to put his arms up. It was frightening.”

Taxi driver Philip Smart, who saw police around Lime Street Station, said: “I saw a car in the middle of the road with its doors open. The road was closed near X-in-the-City and the Adelphi was closed off. I turned into Charlotte Street where the rank is but police closed that off, too, and I was stuck for a while. They were not letting anyone down there. I did ask what was going on but they would only say it was an incident.

“I thought it could be a stabbing or something but when they started evacuating people from the bars, I thought it could be a bomb.”

Another security guard at McDonald’s said: “Two policemen had machine guns. They were pointing the guns at the man. The girls at the lap dance bar were look-ing out and then the police told everyone to evacuate the area . It was really eerie.”

DJ Mark Woodruffe, 28, said: “I was working in the Adelphi hotel at a con-ference gig and suddenly the fire alarm went off at 11.15pm.

“Everyone was told to evacuate the building. There were other gigs going on as well. Everyone was told to walk toward the Catholic Cathedral and assemble by the traffic lights. At 1am, they were allowed to go back.”

At Lime Street Station yesterday, a high-profile police presence was put in place to reassure travellers.

Yesterday morning police attention switched to Ramilies Road and Hatherley Street, both of which were partially cordoned off.

Eye witnesses say at least four men were taken away after the raids.

Haroon Samad, 56, who lives next door to the raided house in Toxteth, was watching television around midnight on Saturday when he heard noises outside.

He said: “Two police cars drove into the road and I saw police shouting, telling the men to come out with their hands behind their heads.

“They had a megaphone. The men came out without a fuss and got into the police car.

“It is a shock, I have lived here for 27 years and nothing like this has ever happened.

“The boys had not been living there that long, maybe a few months, I would say hello to them and greet them, they seemed friendly.”

A neighbour described how they saw four men frog-marched out of the house in Hatherley Street, off Mulgrave Street, and bundled into a car.

Billy Jones said: “I was putting the kids to bed and I heard cars screeching outside.

“I looked out of the window and saw uniformed officers run into the house and emerge a few minutes later with four men.”

Mr Samad said he would see the men when he worshipped at the nearby Al Ramah mosque, at the end of the road.

Locals say three of the men, who were in their 20s, were of Pakistani origin and one was from Yemen and named “Ali”.

Residents also said the men were released yesterday morning without charge but there was still a police presence at their home.

It is understood they were removed from the properties to enable police to conduct searches, and were not under suspicion.

Similar activity was seen at Ramilies Road, where eye witnesses say police with machine guns positioned themselves for three hours before storming into a house there. Students Melissa Heywood, 21, and Michael Bullock, 24, saw the incident from a window in their house on the corner of the street. Miss Heywood said: “I heard a dog bark so I asked my friend to look out of the window and he saw a man with a machine gun outside.

“There was also a police van and then we saw other officers, also holding machine guns.

“They stood outside for three hours.”

Mr Bullock said: “We then heard noises in the backyard area, we thought they must have caught somebody.

“When we went to look at the house this morning, I saw that the door had been smashed in.”

Miss Heywood added: “It is really frightening, because I used to walk up and down that road every day and even after a night out.

“People come and go around here, so you do not notice when somebody is new, I don’t know who lived in the house.”

Locals also say they saw a black jeep and what looked like a Mercedes being towed away by police.

Of the other four people arrested by anti-terror police across the country, two – a man and woman – were stopped on the M6, near Sandbach, in the early hours of Sunday. The woman, aged 27, and the man, aged 26, are also now believed to be in London.

A spokesman for Cheshire Police confirmed the arrests on the M6 were terror-related.

lizawilliams

Everything being done to protect the public

THE Assistant Chief Constable of Merseyside Police last night told the public that everything was being done to protect them from a terrorist attack.

At an emergency press con-ference at Merseyside Police headquarters, ACC Helen King said officers were working closely with anti-terrorist experts from the Metropolitan Force to ensure the safety of those living and working in Merseyside.

She called for calm and said, while people must not overreact to potential threats, they should remain vigilant and inform police of anything that causes them suspicion or concern.

She said: “We would like to thank the public for their co-operation and patience.

“Everything is being done to ensure the safety of the public of Merseyside and would ask that our communities continue to help us by remaining calm but vigilant. We would ask you to report any suspicious behaviour to the police or the Anti-Terrorist Hotline.

“We can confirm an arrest has been made in Liverpool in connection with incidents nationwide.

“The man was arrested overnight on behalf of Metropolitan Police Service counter-terrorism command.

“Following on from that, Merseyside Police is executing search warrants at two addresses in the Liverpool area.

“Residents will notice an increased police presence in some areas of Merseyside. This is to reassure the public and help keep the people of Merseyside safe.

“Patrols have also been stepped up across the country following incidents in the last 48 hours.

“We are sure that the public will understand that, with a suspicious car being found at Liverpool John Lennon Airport and the arrest, we had no option but to close the airport last night. It was re-opened at the earliest possible opportunity.”

ANYONE with information should call the Anti-Terrorist Hotline on 0800 789 321, Merseyside Police on 0151 709 6010 or Crimestoppers anonymously on 0800 555 111.

How the day’s events unfolded

FRIDAY AM: Two Mercedes containing petrol, gas cylinders and nails were found outside the Tiger Tiger club in London's Haymarket and a nearby street, but the devices did not detonate.

Friday: The Government's emergency response unit, Cobra, held its first meeting. Cobra has now met four times in three days. A formal statement from the unit will be made in the Commons today.

Saturday, 3.15pm: A green Jeep was driven into Glasgow Airport in flames before exploding into a fireball.

5pm: The UK moved to its highest level of terror alert – critical

8.30pm: JLA was closed following reports of a suspicious vehicle.

Sunday 00.30am: Man arrested in Liverpool, on Lime Street, close to the Adelphi Hotel. A man and a woman were also arrested on the M6 at Sandbach.

Sunday 1.30am: Searches start at Ramilies Road, near Penny Lane, Liverpool. Later on, searches start on Hatherley Street, Toxteth, as well as in Staffordshire, and near Glasgow. 4.40am:

4.40am: Liverpool Airport reopens.

Sunday, 9am: The Prime Minister says on TV that it is “clear that we are dealing, in general terms, with people who are associated with al-Qaida”.

2pm: Police on Merseyside urge the general public to remain vigilant.

4pm: Staffordshire Police said its officers were searching an address in Newcastle-under-Lyme with the West Midlands Counter Terrorism Unit and Met personnel.