Homes Evacuated As Man Held In Anti-Terror Swoop

A man arrested in Birmingham on suspicion of terror offences has been detained under the Mental Health Act. According to the police, the homes were evacuated because it was looking for “suspicious items”.

“Suspicious items” were found at the 27-year-old’s home on Naseby Road in Alum Rock, West Midlands Police said.

He was initially arrested for possessing an offensive weapon in public, but later held by terrorism officers when a search of his address uncovered the unidentified substances in unmarked bottles.

No further details on the nature of these items have been disclosed.

The man is now being held under section 41 of the Terrorism Act, which relates to the “commission, preparation or instigation of acts of terrorism”. Detectives from the West Midlands counter terrorism can interrogate the suspect until Tuesday morning. The force has said the house will remain cordoned off until later today while bomb squad searches and safety checks are completed.

It came following reports he had been spotted walking around with a hammer.