Three men have been arrested on suspicion of commission, preparation and instigation of acts of terrorism following warrants executed in Bolton and Wigan this evening, Greater Manchester Police have said.
In a statement released shortly after 9pm today, May 8, the force said four arrest warrants were executed in the Bolton, Great Lever, Abram and Hindley areas at around 7:30pm this evening. The men, aged 35, 36 and 51, were arrested at separate locations and have been taken into custody for questioning. Officers added they do not believe there is a wider threat to the community.
Police have continued to carry out enquiries at the four addresses where scenes remain in place and efforts are being made to minimise disruption to local residents as much as possible. The four men involved have not yet been named. Greater Manchester Police later warned locals on X, formerly Twitter, that they may notice more police in the area.
Assistant Chief Constable Rob Potts, who holds responsibility for counter terrorism policing in the north west, said: “This evening we have executed a number of planned warrants as part of an ongoing counter terrorism investigation.
“Three men have been taken into custody for questioning and scenes remain in place as we conduct further enquiries. Today’s activity has been the culmination of much detailed planning and we have put measures in place to minimise disruption to local residents as much as possible.
“I understand that any time arrests of this nature are made it will cause concerns and people will naturally have questions. Although we can’t go into specific details of the investigation at this stage, I want to reassure members of the public that we do not currently believe there to be any wider threat linked to today’s activity. Further detail will be released where appropriate as the investigation progresses.”
At around 9:30pm, Greater Manchester Police warned locals on X that they may notice a higher police presence in the area, writing: "We've arrested three men on suspicion of commission, preparation & instigation of acts of terrorism. Several scenes remain in place and you may see extra officers in the area over the coming days. If you have any questions, please do not hesitate to speak to them."
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