Five arrested in Birmingham and Gatwick Airport for suspicious terror activities

West Midlands Police on Friday confirmed that they had arrested five people at airports in Birmingham and at Gatwick Airport for suspicious terror activities.

Police said in a statement that all five were residents of Birmingham and were involved in the preparation or instigation of acts of terrorism.

They said four people, including three men aged 26, 40 and 59 respectively and a 29-year-old woman, were arrested in Birmingham on Thursday night, and a 26-year-old man was picked up at Gatwick Airport early on Friday morning.

The arrests form a part of an extensive investigation being carried out by West Midlands Counter Terrorism Unit (WMCTU), MI5 and international partners including Belgian and French authorities to address any associated threat to the UK following the attacks in Europe," the Guardian quoted Assistant Chief Constable Marcus Beale of the West Midlands Police, as saying.

All five are currently being held in the West Midlands, where they are being questioned by WMCTU officers, according to the police. Police are also searching several properties in Birmingham for further clues.