Daily Mail : Bomb disposal squad called in to site at centre of Liverpool terror arrests

Bomb disposal squad called in to site at centre of Liverpool terror arrests

By Charlotte Gill and Jaya Narain | April 13, 2009

Army bomb disposal experts have been called in by counter-terrorism officers investigating the suspected terror plot which saw 12 men arrested last week.

An area around Highgate Street in the Wavertree area of Liverpool was cordoned off as a precaution and a number of homes nearby were evacuated.

A spokeswoman for Greater Manchester Police stressed no dangerous device had been found but experts were brought in to help with the search of the property, which is continuing.

'At this stage the experts have been called in as a precaution.

'Cordons have been set up and a small number of homes evacuated.

'Officers are working to ensure this is resolved with minimum disruption to local people and appreciate the community's cooperation and understanding.'

Meanwhile sources said a number of the suspects arrested last week could be deported rather than charged due to lack of evidence against them.

The Pakistani men, most of them on British student visas, will be thrown out for breaching the terms of their entry if the police cannot find enough material to try them in court.

It is understood that the UK has already begun seeking assurances that the men would not face torture if they were sent back to Pakistan.

Deportations rather than charges would be humiliating for the police and M15 and embarrassing for Gordon Brown who said that arrests involved a 'very big terrorist' plot and criticised Pakistan for not doing more to tackle Islamist terrorism.

Extensive searches of properties have so far not believed to have led to the discovery of any bomb-making equipment or materials.

Yesterday police at one property in Manchester were seen removing sachets of sugar - sometimes used as a component in homemade explosives.

Police remain hopeful that information coming out of Pakistan coupled with emails, computer data and forensics found in the searched premises will lead to some charges.

Sources have said that the raids were brought forward after intelligence suggested that the group could strike as early as the Easter holiday.

Surveillance officers reported seeing some of the men filming buildings including the Trafford Centre, the Arndale Centre and the Birdcage nightclub in Manchester.

The terror raids in Greater Manchester, Lancashire and Merseyside were planned for last week but had to be rushed by 12 hours after police anti-terror chief Bob Quick was photographed holding a secret document detailing the targets.

The blunder led him to resign the following day.

Twelve men - 11 Pakistani nationals and a UK-born Briton - were arrested. One, an 18-year-old Pakistani man, has since been released and is in the custody of immigration officials.

The family of a man studying at Liverpool John Moores University said they believed that their son had been arrested and appealed for his release.

Relatives of Mohammad Ramzan, from Dera Ismail Khan in north west Pakistan, said they had been unable to contact him since last week.

His father Haji Hazrat Ali said the 25-year-old travelled to Britain in 2006 and was studying for an MBA.

He said: 'He is a very humble, gentle boy and always concentrates on his studies. I firmly believe he simply cannot be involved in any negative activity.'

The family of Abdul Wahab Khan, 26, who lived with Ramzan while they studied at the university, have also voiced concern that their he may be among those arrested.

Khan's older brother, Gulzar Jan, said he came to Britain in 2006 and was studying for a master's degree in IT.

He said: 'My brother is for sure innocent. He doesn't deserve the treatment he might be getting in custody in the UK.'

Relatives of the two men said deportation would be a 'great disgrace'.

Nasrullah Jan Khattak, the father of Abid Naseer who was named as a suspect, said: 'Ours is a religious-minded family but this doesn’t mean that my son is part of a terrorist cell.'

He said Naseer went to England two years ago to study IT at a university in Manchester. His student visa was due to expire in September.

Details of a third man said to be one of those arrested also emerged.

Janas Khan, 25, is a student at Hope University in Liverpool and was working as security guard at Homebase in Clitheroe, Lancashire along with another terror suspect.

He is thought to have stayed at a flat in Liverpool owned by an suspected terror financier, Mohammed Benhammedi, who is alleged to have raise funds for the Libyan Islamic Fighting Group, which is associated with al Qaeda.

Officers have been granted a further week to detain the 11, who range in age from 22 to 41 and are being held in various locations across the country. They can be questioned for a maximum of 28 days before they have to be charged or released.