11/11/2011

Poppy Protest Group Raided

London counter-terrorism officers have revealed a raid on three premises linked to a radical Muslim group has been carried out on Friday.

The raids took place only hours after the UK Government officially banned the organisation. On Thursday evening, Home Secretary Theresa May announced in Parliament that support for the group was now a criminal offence.

The group, known as Muslims Against the Crusades (MAC) had planned a demonstration to disrupt Armistice Day ceremonies, however, their operations were disrupted by raids in the early hours of Friday morning.

A police spokesman said: "At 11 p.m. last night, officers from the Counter Terrorism Command executed three search warrants under the Terrorism Act 2000 at addresses in east London," a London police spokesman said on Friday.

"These searches concluded at 5.30 a.m. this morning."

The properties, connected to Muslims Against Crusades (MAC) and its leading figure Anjem Choudary, were raided but no arrests were made.

Mr Choudary said his house and a community centre where the group used to teach in Whitechapel were two of the targets.

Last year, members of MAC burnt two large poppies outside the Royal Albert Hall in London during the two-minute silence to mark Remembrance Day, the anniversary of the day the Armistice was signed marking the end of the First World War.

(DW)

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