Radical Muslim convert and former Met police support officer held in terror raids near Olympic park

A former Met police support officer and a radical Muslim convert were seized today in terror raids next to the Olympic park. Counter-terrorism police swooped on six homes across London this morning amid fears of an al Qaeda-inspired plot to attack the capital.

The ex-police worker was held by armed officers at a terrace house in east London just half a mile from the Olympic Park. Two other men were also arrested.

In simultaneous raids in Ealing police swooped on two men and a woman. One of them, a 29-year-old man, was held in the street.

One of the two men is understood to be a middle class white Muslim convert who has adopted an Islamic name, called for sharia law to be adopted in Britain and branded British soldiers returning from Afghanistan "murderers”.

Scotland Yard described today’s dawn arrests as "significant” and the result of a pre-planned and intelligence-led operation.

Besides the man seized in the street, a man aged 21 and a 30-year-old woman were detained at separate addresses in Ealing. Three other men, aged 18, 24 and 26, were held in east London. (...)