LONDON, March 30 (UPI) -- Eight men were arrested in southeastern England early Tuesday in a series of raids that also netted half a ton of explosives stored in London.
More than 700 police officers raided 24 addresses around the country, Sky News reported, adding the raids had been planned to take place in several weeks. The network said it was unclear what prompted the decision to move so quickly.
The suspects are all Pakistani British citizens ranging in age from 17 to 32.
The explosives material -- the fertilizer ammonium nitrate was found in a public storage facility in West London.
Its destructive potential is enormous. The material is the same type was used in the Bali bombings in October 2002, which killed 202 people, and the Oklahoma City federal building bombing that left 168 dead. There, just 200 pounds of the powder was used.
Scotland Yard terrorist branch chief Peter Clarke said the operation was not linked to the March 11 train bombings in Madrid.
Britain has been on a high state of alert over terrorist activities since Christmas and one step below the highest alert in London, the BBC said.
