UPDATE 1 – 2 arrested over terror plot to kill British Prime Minister Theresa May

Photo of author

By BNO NEWS

British counter-terrorism police have arrested two men over an alleged plot to attack Downing Street and assassinate Prime Minister Theresa May, British media report. It was not immediately known whether they were acting on behalf of a terrorist group.

The men were arrested in London and Birmingham last week in connection with the preparation of acts of terrorism, but details have not been released by officials. The suspects were identified on Tuesday as 20-year-old Naa’imur Zakariyah Rahman and 21-year-old Mohammed Aqib Imran.

The British newspaper The Telegraph reported on early Wednesday morning that the men planned to use an improvised explosive device to blow up the gates of Downing Street, where the prime minister’s official residence is located, and then kill her in the ensuing chaos.

It was not immediately known whether the suspects were working on behalf of a terrorist group.

Andrew Parker, the head of Britain’s domestic intelligence agency MI5, informed cabinet members about the plot during a briefing on Tuesday. He revealed that British intelligence had foiled nine terror plots in the past 12 months.

Other details about the alleged plot were not immediately available.

England has experienced a series of terrorist attacks this year, including a suicide bombing at the Manchester Arena in May, killing 22 people and injuring more than 500 others. In June, 11 people were killed in a vehicle and stabbing attack in London.

(Copyright 2017 by BNO News B.V. All rights reserved. Info: sales@bnonews.com.)

Images Courtesy of DepositPhotos