Smash hit

A 27-year-old woman described as wearing Islamic head-dress and a 26-year-old man man wearing a suit were taken to a Central London police station. They had been tracked by anti-terrorism officers from the Metropolitan Police and West Midlands Police.

One witness, Peter Whitehead, told the BBC that three unmarked police cars brought traffic to a halt on the motorway. “In front of them were a couple of other unmarked police cars and they forced a car on to the hard shoulder and got the occupants out and as far as I can see arrested them.”

Less than 20 miles away in south Liverpool, residents heard armed police break down the doors of two terraced houses yesterday morning. A man, 26, was arrested during the morning after being stopped while driving through the city.

Rachal Tansey, 27, a student who lives opposite one of the houses, said that the commotion woke her at 1am. “I looked out of the bathroom window and saw men with big guns, and they barged in. There was a commotion,” she said.

‘Items sent as earthquake aid’

Hidden among clothing were goods selected and purchased to support the activities of terrorists, a court was told

Multimedia

• Pictures: Glasgow airport attack

BACKGROUND

• Brown plans to double 28-day detention limit

• Men in bungled raid say police attacked again

• More than Vigilance

• 'Dirty bomb' mastermind plotted wave of atrocities across Britain

• Jihadi house parties of hate

Related Links

• Britain hunts terror cell members on the run

• Luck alone spared us from a repeat of July 7

• Five held as police link attacks

The police were involved in other dramatic operations in connection with their investigation. A car was blown up by the police at the Royal Alexandra hospital in Glasgow where the driver injured in the airport attack was being treated, the police said. The car was believed to be linked to the airport attack, the spokesman confirmed.

In Newcastle-under-Lyme, Staffordshire, police raided a detached three-bedroom house in connection with the London and Glasgow attacks. The home, which belongs to a married Lebanese doctor, was raided at about 10pm on Saturday. The doctor works at the North Staffordshire Hospital, Stoke-on-Trent, and has a wife and baby boy. The house was surrounded by police and forensic science experts yesterday.

Forensic science experts also erected a tent in the back garden and removed black bags from the house to be taken away for testing.

The cycle of events began on the early hours of Friday when alleged car bombs were found and defused in the West End. The first, found at 1am outside Tiger Tiger nightclub, was spotted by two ambulance workers who saw smoke rising from among gas cannister and bags of nails.

Later that day, the police cordoned off Park Lane, Mayfair, after a suspect device was found in an underground car park.

Those arrested in connection with the airport attack are not from Scotland, according to one police chief, who was applauded after he broke the news yesterday to a Muslim audience. Assistant Chief Constable John Neilson said: “The people we have in custody came to Scotland a short while ago to seek work. I am sure the community in Glasgow in particular will be reassured These are not your young people.”

Despite this news, prominent Muslims voiced their concern yesterday at a possible backlash against their community.

Osama Saeed, the Scottish spokesman for the Muslim Association of Great Britain, said that there was a general sense of despondency in the community at the damage the attack in Glasgow could cause. “Personally, I am seething with anger,” he said. “Thank God no lives were lost, but this kind of attack is aiming for indiscriminate slaughter.

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