25 November 2009 / REUTERS, LONDON
The British government’s terrorism watchdog on Tuesday criticized counter-terrorism police who arrested and then released without charge 12 men seized in April raids to foil a suspected al-Qaeda plot.
Lord Carlile, the government’s independent reviewer of terrorism legislation, said Greater Manchester Police should have sought comprehensive advice from Crown Prosecution Service (CPS) lawyers about the operation in advance. The raids were launched several hours ahead of schedule in daylight after a document on the operation being carried by Britain’s senior counter-terrorism officer Bob Quick into Downing Street was photographed. Quick resigned the next day. “It was unwise of the police in this case not to actively seek legal advice from the CPS during the process of planning the arrests,” Carlile said. The 11 Pakistanis and one Briton were arrested in northwest England on April 8 in an operation aimed at preventing what Prime Minister Gordon Brown called a “very big terrorist plot.” Prosecutors said there was insufficient evidence to hold them or bring charges. Police did not meet CPS lawyers in person until April 15, a week after the arrests and Carlile said advice might have led to fewer arrests.
