Police hold three men 'plotting Al Qaeda terror strike in the UK

A man suspected of plotting a domestic Al Qaeda-inspired terror strike screamed ‘cowards’ at police as he was arrested yesterday. Eyewitnesses described the suspect being dragged away by masked plain clothes police officers from the offices of a healthcare giant. The dramatic scene took place at medical supplies distributor Alliance Healthcare in Letchworth, Hertfordshire, where he is believed to have worked as a driver.Two other men, aged in their 20s and 30s rescpectively, were arrested in simultaneous operations at separate homes in Luton, just 13 miles away. Security sources said police were forced to act over a ‘fairly advanced’ suspected Islamist conspiracy aimed at an unknown British target. Unusually, the conspiracy was not connected to the bloodshed in Syria or the rampant Islamic State propaganda machine. Instead investigators are understood to be probing potential links between the men and an Al Qaeda-inspired cell in Pakistan. Armed officers led the raid at one of the addresses, raising fears police believed the men had access to firearms, although none were found. An attack by marauding gunmen armed with automatic weapons on a ‘soft’ civilian target is one of the greatest concerns of counter terror chiefs. The man, aged in his 20s, was arrested at 12.45pm yesterday when dozens of officers confronted him at his workplace, a subsidiary of Boots. Instead investigators are understood to be probing potential links between the men and an Al Qaeda-inspired cell in Pakistan. Armed officers led the raid at one of the addresses, raising fears police believed the men had access to firearms, although none were found. An attack by marauding gunmen armed with automatic weapons on a ‘soft’ civilian target is one of the greatest concerns of counter terror chiefs. The man, aged in his 20s, was arrested at 12.45pm yesterday when dozens of officers confronted him at his workplace, a subsidiary of Boots. Earlier this month hundreds of emergency service staff took part in a two-day exercise in which jihadi gunmen ran amok at a Tube station and took hostages. The raids, a week after the 10th anniversary of the July 7 attacks, highlight the continuing severe terrorist threat. They came as Scotland Yard redoubled its efforts to stop vulnerable people leaving the country to join jihadists. Counter terrorism chiefs revealed 43 women and girls have been reported missing by their families nationwide over the last 12 months alone. Deputy Assistant Commissioner Helen Ball, one of the country’s top counter terrorism officers, said young women are ‘highly unlikely’ to ever be able to return. ‘Syria is an extremely dangerous place - the reality of life there is far from the image that terrorist groups actively promote to young women here in the UK,’ she added. A Met spokesman said the arrests and searches are part of an ‘ongoing investigation’ into ‘Islamist-related terrorism.’ An Alliance Healthcare spokeswoman refused to comment, saying: ‘You need to contact the Met Police. MORE PHOTOS AFTER THE CUT...