Three men have been charged with terror offences following a string of raids across Greater Manchester, police have confirmed.
Walid Saadaoui, 36, and Amar Hussein, 50, have been charged with preparation of terrorist acts, contrary to section 5(1)(b) of the Terrorism Act 2006.
Bilel Saadaoui, 35, has been charged with failure to disclose information about an act of terrorism.
The three men were detained last Wednesday during the major police operation led by elite anti-terror cops, who carried out strikes at four locations in Wigan and Bolton.
The terror suspects have all been remanded in custody and are scheduled to appear before Westminster Magistrates Court tomorrow.
Three men have been charged with terror offences following a string of raids across Greater Manchester last week. Pictured are police at a residence in Abram on May 9, 2024, where a warrant had been executed
The raids were carried out last week as part of a series of coordinated strikes across Greater Manchester.
At least one suspect was arrested by armed police at The Warehouse Gym, in Hindley near Wigan, video footage confirmed.
The suspect was tied up by masked officers inside the gym, while police armed with assault rifles and dogs waited outside.
The suspect was then marched out the gym by police, with one officer later filmed clutching the grip of a 9mm Glock pistol, which was tucked in his trousers.
Police then raided his home in Hindley with his wife, son and daughter left waiting in the road outside the terraced property.
His wife told MailOnline last week that he had been snared by cops in front of his ‘traumatised’ 16-year-old son, who was also in the gym at the time.
A number of police cordons were put in place across four locations in Wigan and Bolton following the raids. They remained in place for a number of days, while local officers patrolled the affected areas.
Greater Manchester Police confirmed today that all the cordons have been lifted and have thanked the impacted communities for their ‘patience and co-operation’.
Newly re-elected Greater Manchester Mayor Andy Burnham last week described the raids as a ‘preventative’ measure.
Asked about the raids, he told BBC Radio Manchester: ‘Obviously people will read that and it’s a worrying development, but on the other hand, we have our police force, GMP, taking action to apprehend people.
‘I can’t really say more than that.
‘This has been a preventative move.
‘Obviously we will be able to say more in due course.’
The three men were detained last Wednesday during the major police operation led by elite anti-terror cops, who carried out strikes at four locations in Wigan and Bolton. Pictured is a property in Abram where a warrant was executed
Assistant Chief Constable Rob Potts, who holds responsibility for counter terrorism policing in the north west, said last Wednesday: ‘This evening we have executed a number of planned warrants as part of an ongoing counter terrorism investigation.
‘Three men have been taken into custody for questioning and scenes remain in place as we conduct further enquiries.
‘Today’s activity has been the culmination of much detailed planning and we have put measures in place to minimise disruption to local residents as much as possible.
‘I understand that any time arrests of this nature are made it will cause concerns and people will naturally have questions.
‘Although we can’t 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 to be any wider threat linked to today’s activity.
‘Further detail will be released where appropriate as the investigation progresses.’