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5 detained for possible violent plot on G20 summit

By Fu Jing (chinadaily.com.cn)
Updated: 2009-03-31 11:22

London -- Police have confirmed that one international student and four people of British nationality have been detained for plotting possible radical violence at the world leaders who are gathering here for the G20 summit this Thursday.

Demonstrators march through central London March 28, 2009. [Agencies]

A police officer, who confirmed the news with China Daily Monday night, refused to elaborate on it. However, she added that there will be a larger security operation surrounding the G20 event itself and any demonstrations that occur, as many activists have flooded into London.

The three men, aged 25, 19 and 16, and two women, both aged 20, who all live in Plymouth, remain in custody, London-based newspaper Evening Standard reported. The paper cited police sources as saying the five people were arrested after a number of imitation weapons were discovered in some of their homes, along with improvised explosives made of fireworks and material relating to political ideology.

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Asked to comment on the political literature the suspects had in their possession, the police officer told the Evening Standard: "It's political… it relates to political organizations, it's not extreme but it's a different political view."

Commenting on the potential scale of damage that could be caused by the weapons and devices discovered, he said: "These are imitation firearms, the other devices were made of simple fireworks -- they're probably not lethal."

Meanwhile, thousands of activists from across Europe were arriving in London and French police estimated that 1,000 activists in France will travel to London. But the London Metropolitan Police Service said it is very experienced in policing events and demonstrations and deals with over 4,500 every year.

"We are monitoring all information relating to planned protests and advertised actions," said the female police officer. "We will have officers deployed at key locations plus a large number in reserve that can respond to deal with whatever takes place."

And in the run up to the Thursday summit, people living near the ExCel center, where the leaders are going to meet, have been told to carry photo identification as police security has been increased.

Risk-analysis company Exclusive Analysis, based in London, Monday told China Daily that London would be "safe" around the G20 summit despite the possibility that more groups will join in the demonstrations and protest Wednesday and Thursday.

"We insist on our analysis unveiled last week and there should be no large-scale violence in London around the summit," said Pepe Egger, division chief of Exclusive Analysis. "We have found that the media has played up the small-scale violence but the city is basically safe."