Andy Burnham speaks after terror arrests in Greater Manchester, cordoned off by police

Andy Burnham said three men were arrested on suspicion of terror arrests in Bolton and Wigan as a “pre-emptive move”.

The Mayor of Greater Manchester spoke on BBC Radio Manchester this morning after officers from Greater Manchester Police arrested three men – aged 35, 36 and 51 – on suspicion of committing, preparing and inciting acts of terrorism last night (May 8). The arrests were made after four raids were carried out on properties in Bolton, Great Lever, Abram and Hindley.

Police scenes remain at four locations this morning, including outside a house on Crankwood Road in Abram and Fairclough Street in Hindley, while the men remain in custody. Follow live updates here.

When asked by host Mike Sweeney for an update on the police operation, Mr Burnham said: “Obviously people will read this (news) and it’s a worrying development but on the other hand GMP are taking steps to hold people back.

READ THE FOLLOWING: More police scenes are in place in Greater Manchester after terror arrests

“I can’t really say more than that. This was a precautionary move. We will say more in due course.”

Police scenes are expected to remain in place for a number of days while inquiries are carried out. Assistant Chief Constable Rob Potts, who has responsibility for counter-terrorism policing in the North West, said there was not believed to be a “bigger threat” following the arrests.

In a statement issued last night, he said: “This evening we executed a number of planned warrants as part of an ongoing counter-terrorism investigation. Three men have been taken into custody for questioning and the scene remains in place while we carry out further enquiries.

“Today’s activity was the culmination of a lot of detailed planning and we have put measures in place to minimize disruption to local residents as much as possible. I understand that any time arrests of this nature are made it will cause concern and people will naturally have questions. .

“While we cannot go into specific details of the investigation at this stage, I want to reassure members of the public that we do not currently believe there is a wider threat related to today’s activity. Further details will be released where appropriate as the investigation progresses.”

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