A suspected Christmas Day bomb plot was foiled by Counter-terrorism police and MI5 officers as they raided addresses in South Yorkshire and Derbyshire following an update from the intelligence. Four men were arrested after sources suggested they were planning to build or acquire a bomb in an Islamist plot to strike a target in the UK. The police was accompanied by bomb squad officers as a precaution to at least one of the addresses. Counter-terrorism sources have called the arrests “significant”.
Four addresses in Sheffield, one in the Meersbrook area, two in Burngreave, one in the Stocksbridge area, and another in Chesterfield were searched. Those under custody include a 22 year old, a 36 year old, and a 41 year old from Sheffield, and a 31 year old from Chesterfield. Sources said the arrests were “intelligence-led and pre-planned.” Neighbours witnessed multiple officers blowing up doors and conducts intense search operations.
“I heard a big bang, which turned out to be the charge they used to open the door. I then went to my housemate and we were watching the whole thing from out the window. We saw various armed special forces and the counter-terrorism unit coming in and out and then the guy came out,” a resident said. Another neighbour said, “I don't know the guys from next door very well but we have had fires in the past and they have come down, they seemed like nice lads, it's a shame really. I am shocked.” Joan Miller, who spoke to the media, said she was woken up at 5.30 in the morning, by a loud bang. “It was a very loud bang. It shook the house. I pulled the curtains and saw lots of armed men in the street, so I kept watching because that was quite extraordinary.”
Home Secretary Amber Rudd said in addition to five attacks in London and Manchester, security agencies had foiled nine plots since March's Westminster incident. Director General of MI5, Andrew Parker said the country was now facing an intense threat from violent Islamist extremists who were developing plots at a tempo he had not seen before in his 34 year career.
