Three Tamil men were arrested in London and Wales last Tuesday as part of what British police said was a “long-term” investigation into the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE), authorities said.
The police said two people have previously been charged in connection with the same inquiry.
[Last year two Tamils were arrested for organising a demonstration on July 25, 2006 to mark the 1983 ‘Black July’ state-backed pogrom against Tamils in Sri Lanka. One of the men was also charged with buying boots and compasses, allegedly for the LTTE.]
A fourth man was reported to have been arrested Tuesday this week, but other reports said one of the two people arrested last year had been re-arrested.
Last week, two men aged 39 and 46 were arrested at separate addresses in Newtown, and the third man, aged 33, was held in Mitcham, London when police staged a series of early morning raids.
"It is not linked to Al-Qaeda-type activity or inspired terrorism. It is in relation to support, procurement and fundraising for a proscribed organisation, the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (Tamil Tigers)," a police spokesman said of the arrests.
Having held the trio arrested last Tuesday for a few days, the police were granted another eight days to question them.
British government officials and senior police officers told media they believe large sums of money are collected in Britain to fund the Tamil Tigers’ armed struggle in Sri Lanka.
The arrests coincided with the landmark visit to Sri Lanka of Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad.
The British High Commission in Colombo was the first to break the news of the three arrests with a swift press release.
Sri Lanka’s government did not respond.
The full text of the High Commission’s press release, titled ‘British Police Arrest Three Men Under Terrorism Act 2000’, follows:
“At approximately 6.30 am on 29 April police officers from the Metropolitan Police Counter Terrorism Command, supported by members of the Welsh police service, carried out searches under the Terrorism Act 2000 at a number of residential and business addresses in Wales. Further searches were carried out in Surrey in south east England and Greater London.
“Three men were arrested at separate addresses on suspicion of the commission, preparation or instigation of acts of terrorism under the Terrorism Act 2000.
“The arrests are part of a long-term investigation into the alleged funding and procurement activity in support of terrorism overseas. The investigation relates to alleged procurement, support and fundraising for the proscribed organisation, the LTTE .
“Two people have previously been charged in connection with this investigation.”
The police said two people have previously been charged in connection with the same inquiry.
[Last year two Tamils were arrested for organising a demonstration on July 25, 2006 to mark the 1983 ‘Black July’ state-backed pogrom against Tamils in Sri Lanka. One of the men was also charged with buying boots and compasses, allegedly for the LTTE.]
A fourth man was reported to have been arrested Tuesday this week, but other reports said one of the two people arrested last year had been re-arrested.
Last week, two men aged 39 and 46 were arrested at separate addresses in Newtown, and the third man, aged 33, was held in Mitcham, London when police staged a series of early morning raids.
"It is not linked to Al-Qaeda-type activity or inspired terrorism. It is in relation to support, procurement and fundraising for a proscribed organisation, the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (Tamil Tigers)," a police spokesman said of the arrests.
Having held the trio arrested last Tuesday for a few days, the police were granted another eight days to question them.
British government officials and senior police officers told media they believe large sums of money are collected in Britain to fund the Tamil Tigers’ armed struggle in Sri Lanka.
The arrests coincided with the landmark visit to Sri Lanka of Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad.
The British High Commission in Colombo was the first to break the news of the three arrests with a swift press release.
Sri Lanka’s government did not respond.
The full text of the High Commission’s press release, titled ‘British Police Arrest Three Men Under Terrorism Act 2000’, follows:
“At approximately 6.30 am on 29 April police officers from the Metropolitan Police Counter Terrorism Command, supported by members of the Welsh police service, carried out searches under the Terrorism Act 2000 at a number of residential and business addresses in Wales. Further searches were carried out in Surrey in south east England and Greater London.
“Three men were arrested at separate addresses on suspicion of the commission, preparation or instigation of acts of terrorism under the Terrorism Act 2000.
“The arrests are part of a long-term investigation into the alleged funding and procurement activity in support of terrorism overseas. The investigation relates to alleged procurement, support and fundraising for the proscribed organisation, the LTTE .
“Two people have previously been charged in connection with this investigation.”