Twelve people have been arrested after an Islamic event in Suffolk was forced to close early due to a credible threat from extreme right-wing terrorists, police have confirmed.
Event Closed Early After Police Warning
Organisers of the UK Ijtima event at Shrubland Hall were advised by police to end the gathering earlier than planned on Sunday following the potential threat. Thousands of attendees had gathered at the historic country home over the weekend.
Three of the suspects were arrested in Surrey on Sunday on suspicion of conspiracy to murder, police said. Commander Helen Flanagan, head of Counter Terrorism Policing London, confirmed the swift response: “After becoming aware of a potential serious threat towards the Islamic event in Suffolk, we have moved extremely quickly to make a number of arrests in various locations across the country.”
Police and Government Response
Home Secretary Shabana Mahmood said police are investigating a credible threat against the event. She stated: “I know this is deeply concerning news for British Muslims. We must stand against hatred and we must unite around our shared belief in a country that is open, generous and tolerant to all our communities.”
Commander Flanagan added: “I know this news may be concerning to the public and particularly those in the Muslim community, given that we believe the intended target was an Islamic event. But as we have shown, we will not hesitate to act if there is any potential threat, no matter who or what the potential target may be.”
Arrest Details
Three men aged 55, 60, and 82 were arrested in Surrey on suspicion of conspiracy to murder. A 48-year-old woman was arrested in east London on suspicion of assisting an offender. Eight other men were held under section 41 of the Terrorism Act, including two men aged 27 and 29 arrested in Surrey, two men both aged 42 held in Essex, a 27-year-old man arrested in Ipswich, a 35-year-old man in Greater Manchester (all arrested on Sunday), and two men aged 31 and 33 held in London on Monday.
Attendees Unaware of Threat
Ruman Muhith, a Labour councillor on Ipswich Borough Council who helped guide organisers through administrative steps, said they accepted police advice to end the event early “without hesitation”. He said police told organisers “to wrap up because there’s a credible threat”. Muhith added: “There was no panic on site because attendees weren’t made aware of it (the threat), they were just told it was finishing early after the morning prayer.”
Major Incident Declared
Assistant Chief Constable Alice Scott from Suffolk Constabulary said: “We understand that the arrests and the context behind them may well cause some concern amongst our local communities. To provide some level of reassurance we will have a visible police presence in the area of Shrubland Hall over the coming days.” She noted the situation was declared a major incident early on Sunday morning, with a multi-agency response ensuring the safe departure of the 15,000 attendees. The major incident status was withdrawn earlier on Monday.
Commander Flanagan urged vigilance: “Sadly, this activity is a stark reminder that the threat level in the UK is at ‘severe’, so we urge the public to remain vigilant and report anything if it doesn’t look or feel right.”
