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UK police arrest six under terrorism laws

Posted on: Sunday, 17 July 2005, 16:08 CDT

LONDON (Reuters) - British police arrested six men in northern England under anti-terrorism laws on Sunday but said they were not directly linked to the July 7 bombings in London.

A police spokesman said the arrests were made under the Terrorism Act 2000 in a suburb of the West Yorkshire town of Leeds, where two of the London bombers lived.

"At this stage these arrests are not being linked to the events in London," West Yorkshire Police said in a statement, adding that officers were working closely with London police.

No more details of those arrested were released.

Four bombs on July 7 tore through London's transport system, killing 55 people and injuring hundreds more.

In Egypt, police detained on Thursday a British-trained biochemist, Magdy Elnashar, but the government said he was not a member of al Qaeda and the media had drawn hasty conclusions.

The 33-year-old Egyptian was a researcher at Leeds University, and police were searching his rented house in the city. Elnashar has denied any links to the bombings.

Officers in London have been given until Tuesday to question a 29-year-old man arrested on suspicion of "the commission, instigation or preparation of acts of terrorism."

Three of the bombers were young British Muslims of Pakistani origin, while the fourth was a Jamaican-born Briton. Two of them were teenagers, one was 22 and the oldest 30.

In Pakistan, security forces have detained eight people from Faisalabad, Lahore and the city of Gujranwala on suspicion of links with another of the bombers.

British Home Secretary (interior minister) Charles Clarke will tell parliament on Monday about planned new laws to target anyone receiving or giving training in preparation for terrorist acts and to outlaw those who glorify or encourage such attacks.

Source: REUTERS

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