British med student arrested in suspected IS terror plot

Scotland Yard counter-terror officers detain three other suspects in series of raids

This undated image posted by the Raqqa Media Center, a Syrian opposition group, on Monday, June 30, 2014, shows fighters from Islamic State during a parade in Raqqa, Syria (photo credit: AP)
This undated image posted by the Raqqa Media Center, a Syrian opposition group, on Monday, June 30, 2014, shows fighters from Islamic State during a parade in Raqqa, Syria (photo credit: AP)

London police are questioning four terrorism suspects believed to have been plotting an attack inside Britain and checking a possible link to the Islamic State group.

Officials said Wednesday that a medical student is among the group of four suspects, which includes one man who had traveled to Syria. The men, aged 20 and 21, were arrested Tuesday morning in London. They remain in custody and haven’t been charged.

British media identified the medical student as Tarike Hassan, known as “the surgeon” among his friends. Reports also indicate he is the same suspect who traveled to Syria and is suspected of meeting with militants there.

The Times of London reported that he had landed back in the UK 48 hours before he was arrested in a raid on Tuesday in which he was tasered. He had allegedly traveled from Sudan where he was studying.

On the day he was arrested, Hassan reportedly tweeted “I smell war.” His friends told the Times the tweet referred to a dispute with a group of girls and was not an indication of a plot to attack the UK.

Neighbors described a young man who grew increasingly devout over the past few months. While in Sudan, Hassan “was known to associate with some Salafist or fundamentalist students,” The Telegraph reported.

According to the Daily Mail, Hassan also used social media to call on followers to pray for jihadi fighters in Syria and to allegedly ridicule a female Kurdish fighter beheaded by an Islamic State jihadist.

Police commissioner Bernard Hogan-Howe told BBC radio the arrests involve a “quite serious case.” He said police are taking a more aggressive stance because of the increased threat linked to the fighting in Iraq and Syria.

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