Men due in court on terror charges after arrests near Tower of London

Two men charged with terror offences who were arrested in a dramatic police operation are today expected to appear in court.

A 25-year-old British national of Turkish origin will appear charged with preparing a terrorist act contrary to Section 5 of the Terrorism Act 2006 and making or possessing a record of information of a kind likely to be useful to a person committing or preparing an act of terrorism under Section 58 of the Terrorism Act 2000.

The second man, a British national of Algerian origin, also 25, has been charged under Section 58 of the Terrorism Act 2000 and with possession of false identity documents with improper intention contrary to the Identity Documents Act 2010.

Both men will appear in custody at Westminster Magistrates’ Court in west London after they were arrested on October 13.

They were arrested after police marksmen used special ammunition to “hard stop” a car on Mansell Street, near the Tower of London.

Officers had been granted additional time to question them until yesterday at a south London police station.

Two other men arrested as part of the same operation were freed without charge on Saturday.

One is 28-year-old British national of Azerbaijani origin detained by officers on upmarket Westbourne Grove in west London.

The other is a 29-year-old British national of Pakistani origin arrested in Peckham, south-east London.

All four men were arrested on suspicion of the commission, preparation or instigation of acts of terrorism.