British police charge five with terror offences

LONDON - Police have charged five suspects with plotting to cause an explosion and terrorism offences after they were held last month in Britain's biggest anti-terror raids since September 11, 2001.

The men were arrested during raids in and around London on March 30 which uncovered half a tonne of ammonium nitrate fertiliser which is often used to make bombs.

Scotland Yard said on Thursday Anthony Garcia, Jawad Akbar, Omar Khyam, and Waheed Mahmoud were accused of conspiring to cause an explosion.

Garcia, Khyam and Nabeel Hussain are accused of possessing 600 kg of ammonium nitrate "which gave rise to a reasonable suspicion that your possession was for a purpose connected with the commission, preparation or instigation of an act of terrorism".

The men - all British citizens aged between 21 and 32 and said by police sources to be Muslims of Pakistani origin - are due appear at London's top security Belmarsh Magistrates Court on Saturday.

Another suspect held in the raids, a teenager who cannot be named for legal reasons, was charged earlier this week with plotting to cause an explosion and remanded in custody for seven days after appearing in court on Wednesday.

Three other men initially held as terror suspects were released and re-arrested in connection with deception and forgery offences. They were freed on police bail.

Scotland Yard said the raids were not linked to the March 11 bomb attacks in Madrid that killed 191 people.

More than 500 people have been held in Britain under its sweeping anti-terror laws introduced after the September 11, 2001 attacks on the United States. About 90 of those suspects have been charged with terrorism-related offences.

- REUTERS