Three men arrested on terrorism offences

Three men have been arrested on terrorism offences following raids in Bolton and Wigan, police have said.

Officers from Counter Terrorism Policing North West (CTPNW) carried out raids at four properties across Bolton and Great Lever and in the Abram and Hindley areas of Wigan at approximately 7.30pm.

The men, aged 35, 36 and 51, were detained at separate locations and were arrested on suspicion commission, preparation and instigation of acts of terrorism.

The three remain in custody and are being questioned by detectives.

Crime scenes remain at the four properties while inquiries are carried out, police said.

Assistant Chief Constable Rob Potts, who holds responsibility for counter terrorism policing in the north west, said: “This evening we have executed a number of planned warrants as part of an ongoing counter terrorism investigation.

“Three men have been taken into custody for questioning and scenes remain in place as we conduct further enquiries. Today’s activity has been the culmination of much detailed planning and we have put measures in place to minimise disruption to local residents as much as possible.

“I understand that any time arrests of this nature are made it will cause concerns and people will naturally have questions.

“Although we can’t go into specific details of the investigation at this stage, I want to reassure members of the public that we do not currently believe there to be any wider threat linked to today’s activity.

“Further detail will be released where appropriate as the investigation progresses.”