UK terror raid family: ‘We are completely innocent’

A family arrested by police during a raid to smash a suspected chemical plot today denied any involvement in terrorism activity, their spokesman said.

In a statement released this afternoon, the family said it “would like to make it clear that we are completely innocent and in no way involved in any terrorist activity”.

The family said they wanted to express their “deep shock and anger” at the raid in the early hours of yesterday morning, when armed officers descended on their family terraced house in east London.

Spokesman Asad Rehman initially said the family were related to two men in an adjoining house who were arrested during the raid - one after he had been shot in the shoulder.

However, he later insisted that the two households were “totally separate”, despite the fact that their houses were interconnected.

The 23-year-old man who was shot was later arrested under the Terrorism Act after being treated at the Royal London Hospital, where he is still recovering.

A 20-year-old man, thought to be his brother, was also held in the raid - which involved 250 police officers, MI5 and bio-chemical experts - and is still in custody.

Mr Rehman, the chairman of the Newham Monitoring Project, said the family did not want to be named.

The Newham Monitoring Project also represents the family of Brazilian Jean Charles de Menezes who was fatally shot by police at Stockwell Tube station last year.

The family said in the statement that police had questioned them for 12 hours before releasing them without charge late yesterday afternoon.

They had been physically assaulted and one had received serious head injuries that required hospital treatment, the statement said.

The statement concluded: “We are currently liaising with our legal team on the course of action to take.”

The neighbours of the raided house said today that they “never expected” to be at the centre of a massive police operation.

The man and woman, who have two teenage children, said police offered to send them to a hotel yesterday evening “for their safety”, but they chose to stay instead at a relative’s house further down the road.

The woman, who declined to be named, said her neighbours were ordinary people.

She said: “We knew them of course. But only to say hello and goodbye to. This is totally unexpected. It was a shock.”

Ashish Khetani, 19, who has lived opposite the raided house for 18 years, said residents suspected the street was being watched for about three months.

He said: “For about three months, one at either end of the road, they have been sitting there from 9am until 6pm in the evening.

“They were undercover but we knew they were police because of the phones, cups of tea and papers. We knew they were police.”

Mr Khetani, who works as a security engineer, said he saw the first armed police officers enter the house.

He said: “We heard them smash the window. My parents called me and we went to the front room to see what was happening.

“I could see a window was smashed and two men in black with guns jumped through the window and opened the front door from inside to let the other guys in.

“Then they brought the younger brother out and they were searching him on the floor and they put some plastic bags over his hands and legs.

“He was wearing a green T-shirt and jogging bottoms. They put handcuffs on him and put him in the back of a van.

“His older brother, he came out before and was taken straight into the ambulance.”

Asked how he would react if evidence of terrorist activity was found at the house, he said: “I’ve been living opposite them for 18 years. If they told us they’d found explosives I would be really gobsmacked.

“I live right opposite and if that’s the case you can’t trust anyone these days.

“It is pretty scary living here now. I have never been escorted to my own house by the police before. It’s only a short walk really but if it’s terrorism it’s terrorism.”

At least eight police vans full of officers arrived at the scene today to relieve their colleagues who had been searching the property through the night.

Some of the officers have been working for more than 24 hours since the raid took place.

Officers could be seen changing out of their rubber biological and chemical suits and other protective clothing, including gloves and overshoes, in the street outside the house.

Yesterday, the Metropolitan Police’s head of anti-terrorism, Deputy Assistant Commissioner Peter Clarke, said “very specific” intelligence had pointed to a terrorist threat. Surveillance had been in place for weeks.

Detectives believe a plot was being hatched to use a chemical device in the UK but do not believe it was linked to the July 7 bombings in London last year.

The Independent Police Complaints Commission immediately launched an investigation into the shooting, which will be overseen by Deborah Glass, the IPCC Commissioner for London and the South East.

The solicitor of the 20-year-old man who is currently being held at Paddington Green station said police were looking after his client “properly”.

Julian Young told Sky News: “He had a shower, he’s been fed, his family need not worry about his well-being, he has been seen by a doctor.

“He’s obviously not happy at being in custody but I’m looking after him to the best of my ability.”

Mr Young said his client would be appearing by video link before a magistrate at Bow Street Magistrates this afternoon.

Police can hold a suspect for up to 14 days under the Terrorism Act 2000, but must apply to a magistrate for a warrant for further detention after 48 hours.

Copyright Press Association 2006.