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Terrorism Act suspects' released without charge

01 March 2004

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Ten Muslims, arrested under the Terrorism Act 2000 on April 19 in a highly-publicised police operation in Greater Manchester, Staffordshire and the West Midlands, were released without charge a few days later. Hundreds of police officers arrested the nine men and one woman, who are reported to be of North African and Iraqi Kurdish origin, in an operation that involved the surveillance of mobile phones and email traffic. The media reported that the suspects were part of a plot to bomb Manchester United's Old Trafford stadium during a high profile football match against Liverpool after tickets were found at some of the addresses of those arrested. One of them, 23-year old, Rebaz Ali, a refugee from Saddam Hussein's brutal regime, has since told journalists that he was a big Manchester United fan; "I have copies of the fixture list every season. I have followed them since I was a boy. I love Manchester United and hate terrorism", he told the Times newspaper. He expressed bewilderment as to why he was detained. Six of those arrested under the Terrorism Act were released and bailed on alleged criminal matters, the tenth was deported to North Africa.

Times 7.5.04, Muslim News http:www.muslimnews.co.uk/news.php?article=7271

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