Apr 22, 2009, 11:20 GMT
London - British police were Wednesday accused of a 'serious breach of human rights' by lawyers representing 11 Pakistani students and one Briton freed without charge following their high-profile arrest under terrorism laws on April 8.
Police Wednesday released the remaining two of the men held in custody without charge for two weeks following the arrests in Manchester, Liverpool, and the northern county of Lancashire. One of the suspects was released last week, and nine were set free late Tuesday.
At the time, police said the men were suspected of having plotted a major terrorist attack on 'soft targets' in Manchester, while Prime Minister Gordon Brown underlined that the arrests were linked to a 'very big attack.'
Eleven of the men, arrested in broad daylight on campuses in Liverpool and at shops, homes and internet cafes in Manchester, were Pakistani nationals in Britain on student visas, police said.
The British government said it plans to deport the men on 'grounds of national security.'
The arrests led to tension with Pakistan as Brown urged the authorities in Islamabad to 'do more' to combat terrorism, while Pakistani officials insisted the arrests in Britain had nothing to do with them and were a matter for the British police.
Lawyers acting for the men freed late Tuesday and Wednesday described their arrests and detention as a 'very serious breach of their human rights.'
But police in Manchester defended the operation, saying that it was 'wholly justified' in the interest of national security.
The Chief Constable of Greater Manchester Police, Peter Fahy, said: 'When it comes to the safety of the public we can't take any chances - we must act on information we receive. We don't take these decisions lightly and only carry out this kind of action if it was wholly justified.'
But Mohammed Ayub of Chambers Solicitors in Bradford, representing the men, said: 'Our clients have no criminal history, they were here lawfully on student visas and all were pursuing their studies and working part-time. Our clients are neither extremists nor terrorists.'
'Their arrest and detention has been a very serious breach of their human rights.'
The men would fight their deportation as this would only 'add insult to injury,' said Ayub.
The Muslim Council of Britain (MCB) accused the government of 'dishonourable' behaviour.
'When these arrests took place, in very dramatic circumstances with students being pulled from universities and thrown to the floor, we were told by the Prime Minister no less that this was part of a very big terrorist plot,' said MCB spokesman Inayat Bunglawala.
'Clearly there just has not been the evidence produced to substantiate such a plot,' he said.
'And now ... instead of releasing them with good grace and making clear a mistake has been made, the government is seeking to deport them citing a very vague national security threat. That is a very dishonourable way of proceeding,' said Bunglawala.
The massive police operation on April 8 was brought forward following an embarrassing security breach by Scotland Yard's anti- terrorism chief, Bob Quick, who resigned after being photographed carrying documents clearly marked 'secret' with details of the police investigation to a government briefing.
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Thomas Lee ElifritzApr 22nd, 2009 - 14:16:58
Wow, British security personnel are retards, no? Almost, but not quite as retarded as Americans.
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bizarro worldApr 22nd, 2009 - 17:17:55
Pedestrian: 'Look! Look at those extremists running down the street throwing grenades at people!' Constable: 'Come with me sir. Calling those men extremists violates their human rights.'
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