5 men arrested on suspicion of terrorism offenses in Birmingham

Five men were arrested Friday in Birmingham by West Midlands counter- terrorism detectives on suspicion of being involved in the commission, preparation, or instigation of acts of terrorism, local police announced.

Two of the men, aged 32 and 37, were arrested in the Stoke area of Staffordshire; two men, aged 18 and 24, were arrested at their home addresses in Birmingham; and one other man, aged 28, was arrested at a further location in Birmingham, West Midlands Police said in a statement.

As a result of one of the arrests, an army bomb disposal team was called in as a precautionary measure to the Lee Bank area of Birmingham, said the police.

A spokesperson for West Midlands Police said: "Police are searching a number of properties in the Stoke and Birmingham areas as part of the investigation; these searches are ongoing."

"The arrests were intelligence-led and part of an ongoing investigation," said the spokesperson.

Source : XINHUA