Police alert to terror threat (From Stroud News and Journal)

Police alert to terror threat

SUSPECTED terrorists arrested outside Cheltenham's GCHQ were interrogated in Stroud over the weekend.

Three Middle Eastern men aged 18, 19 and 20 were spotted taking photographs of the Government Communication Headquarters and "acting suspiciously" on Saturday.

Security staff alerted police, who arrived wearing protective flak jackets and apprehended them under the Prevention of Terrorism Act 2000 on Prestbury Road at 3pm.

The men, all foreign nationals, were put in separate police vans and escorted to Stroud under a heavy guard.

They were held there and questioned for nearly two days. Acting inspector Andy Stone said they were kept in different parts of the station and interviewed by Stroud and Cheltenham CID.

Detectives had the power to hold the men until 3pm on Monday afternoon but they were released without charge on Monday at 12.50pm.

Police spokesman Suzanne Lightfoot said: "Gloucestershire police are always alert to the potential threat of terrorism and we're doing everything possible to combat it.

"There is no need for the public to be alarmed but it is important that they remain alert and we thank them for their continued vigilance and support."