British police nab six over terror plot for Christmas

British police say they have arrested six people suspected of plotting terror attacks for Christmas on behalf of the Daesh Takfiri terrorist group (ISIL) in the United Kingdom.

Police officials said the arrests in the English Midlands city of Derby on Monday foiled a “significant” terror plan that came after months of close surveillance by the MI5 and counter-terrorism police forces.

The detainees, all aged 22 to 36, had planned to set off a bomb in a crowded British shopping center during the Christmas period, according to reports.

The Guardian confirmed the reports, saying, “Material recovered from an address raided in Derby has been initially assessed as being consistent with that needed to make homemade explosives.”

The counter-terrorism unit in Britain also noted that the detentions were linked to “international-related terrorism.”

Further investigations are under way to determine the motives behind the foiled terror plot.

In a late-October report, British security services said they had foiled at least 10 terrorist attacks over the past two years in the country.

“We continue to work at a relentless pace with our key partners, currently dealing with around 550 live cases at any one time. The counter-terrorism network and security services have successfully foiled at least 10 attacks in the last two years, with 294 convictions for terror-related offenses,” said Neil Basu, the deputy assistant commissioner of the Metropolitan Police.

The official noted that security services are on high alert in Britain following a series of recent attacks carried out in other parts of Europe and later claimed by Daesh.

Basu said authorities relied on the support of the public to successfully confront the threat, calling on the public to be “alert but not alarmed” and report anything suspicious. 

British Prime Minister Theresa May said in mid-July that her country needed to step up efforts to curb terrorism.

British authorities say that at least 800 UK nationals have traveled to Syria and Iraq to fight alongside various Takfiri groups, regarding them as potential security threats upon returning home.

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