UK arrests 12 over extreme right-wing ‘terror’ threat to Muslim event 

British police have arrested 12 people in connection with an “extreme right-wing” terrorism threat targeting an Islamic gathering held in eastern England over the weekend.

The arrests were made across the country on Sunday and Monday, with the detainees aged between 27 and 82. Eleven of the suspects are men, while one woman has also been detained.

“After becoming aware of a potential serious threat towards the Islamic event in Suffolk, we have moved extremely quickly to make a number of arrests in various locations across the country,” Helen Flanagan, head of Counter Terrorism Policing London said.

The Ijtima festival was attended by around 15,000 people. The event concluded earlier than planned on the advice of the police, who were tipped off about a potential threat.

Eight of the 11 men arrested were detained on suspicion of terrorism. The remaining three were detained on suspicion of conspiracy to murder. The woman was arrested on suspicion of assisting an offender. None had been formally charged by the time of writing.

Police said there was no evidence to suggest a wider threat to the public, noting that several addresses across the UK were still being searched as the investigation continued.

The arrests came against a backdrop of rising racial tension and hate crimes in the UK, with marginalised communities increasingly targeted.

Fanned by populist far-right political parties such as Reform, the intolerance follows on from a series of riots two years ago.

In January, the UK’s public prosecution agency, the Crown Prosecution Service (CPS), said it was handling the highest number of hate crime cases referred by police in its history.

More than 4,350 cases were referred to the CPS between July and September last year, a 14.7 percent increase compared with the previous quarter.

Responding to the arrests, Home Secretary Shabana Mahmood said police had “undoubtedly saved lives”.

“Twelve individuals have now been arrested. I know this is deeply concerning news for British Muslims. We must stand against hatred and we must unite around our shared belief in a country that is open, generous and tolerant to all our communities,” she said.