Muslim community leaders were contacted by the police and Government officials early this morning as the first statements were released to the press.

Khurshid Ahmed, leader of the British Muslim Forum was rung by a chief superintendent from the Metropolitan Police and a senior official from the Department for Communities and Local Government just before 7am to be told the arrests had taken place.

The police also contacted Dr Muhammed Abdul Bari, General Secretary of the Muslim Council of Britain, at 6.54am. He was told that a number of arrests had taken place "for the public’s safety" but given few details.

Mr Ahmed said that he felt the operation had been handled well but he warned that if the police failed to find any evidence to incriminate the people concerned then relations between the government and the Muslim community would deteriorate further.

"I was woken up by the police who said there was a threat to blow up a plane and that a number of arrests had been made," he said. "Since then I have been in contact with people from the Home Office and the Department for Communities and Local Government (DCLG) to find out what has been happening."

Mr Ahmed said he had spent the morning contacting local authorities, police authorities and Muslim community groups to ensure there was no "backlash" when further information was released about the identity of those arrested. He had already spoken to leaders in Bradford, London and the Midlands.

"As events unfold we will have to be prepared for how to deal with this. At the moment it is being handled very efficiently and competently."

But he admitted that it was very difficult to know whether there had been an overreaction, until further details emerged: "I have no information about that whatsoever." He said that if the arrests turned out to have been based on faulty intelligence, as happened after the arrests and shooting at Forest Gate, the community would react badly.

"It would be very unfortunate. It would further cloud relations between the Government and the Muslim Community and would reinforce the perception people have got that the police are targeting the Muslim community. I sincerely hope that doesn’t happen and we do find there is substance in the allegations."

The Muslim Council of Britain said the police had gone out of their way to ensure that the arrests were low key and had not attracted undue attention.

But Labour MP Mohammed Sarwar said parliament should now be recalled. He has already demanded that Parliament should debate the crisis in Lebanon, but said today’s events made this more urgent.

"I think it's imperative that we discuss national disasters and international disasters in the parliament," the MP for Glasgow Central said.

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