Two men arrested on suspicion of terrorism offences

Two men suspected of being involved in the commission, preparation and instigation of terrorism have been arrested by police in raids in London and Birmingham. A 20-year-old man was arrested in north London and a 21-year-old in south-east Birmingham. Officers from the Met police counter-terrorism command carried out the raids, supported by officers from the West Midlands counter-terrorism unit and the Met’s firearms command. Both men were being held in custody under the Terrorism Act at a police station in south-east London. The raids come as the number of people arrested for terrorism-linked offences rose by more than two-thirds to a record 379 in the 12 months to June - one of the most intense periods for terrorist attacks in recent history.