U.K. Imams urged to help fight terror

British Muslim leaders urged every Imam in the country on Wednesday to help police fight terrorism after the arrest of eight men believed to be Muslims in a major national anti-terror sweep.

The appeal for vigilance was being sent to prayer leaders in over 1,000 mosques following the arrests and seizure of explosives on Tuesday in Britain's biggest anti-terror operation since the September 11 attacks of 2001.

"We will not tolerate terrorism," Iqbal Sacranie, the council's secretary-general, said in the letter to Imams.

"It is important that we exercise extra vigilance in terms of fulfilling our duty. If there is anything we become aware of, it is our duty to ensure that this is reported immediately to the police," he said.

Police sources said the suspects were believed to be British Muslims of Pakistani origin. In 24 separate dawn raids, police seized more than half a ton of ammonium nitrate fertilizer, which is prime bomb-making material.

Britain, America's closest ally in the "war on terror" and the invasion of Iraq that toppled leader Saddam Hussein, has long feared it could be a prime target for Islamic extremists.

London's police chief openly says he believes an attack is inevitable. Britain has been on high alert since the September 11 suicide plane attacks on New York and Washington.

Fear of backlash
Council spokesman Inayat Bunglawala said Muslim leaders feared there could be a backlash against the country's two million Muslims if an attack was launched in Britain.

"The Muslim community realizes that any atrocity perpetrated here may well play into the hands of the far right who will no doubt exploit it for their own devices," he told Reuters.

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"We know that a terrorist atrocity will not differentiate between Muslims and non-Muslims. Half of Britain's two million Muslims live in the London area," he added.

The fertilizer was discovered in a six-foot high plastic bag in a west London warehouse, Peter Clarke, head of Britain's anti-terror branch, told a news conference on Tuesday.

The operation was not linked to investigations into the co-ordinated train bombings in Madrid on March 11, which killed nearly 200 people, or to Irish extremists, he said.

British newspapers were packed with speculation on Wednesday about the possible target for a truck bomb attack -- from airports to suburban shopping malls and football grounds.

Some of the suspects were arrested near London's Heathrow and Gatwick airports but there was no evidence to suggest either were targets, police sources said.

Clarke said the eight men, who were British and aged between 17 and 32, were arrested on suspicion of preparing to carry out acts of terrorism. They now face extensive grilling by detectives.