Four British men are being questioned over an alleged terror plot after they were arrested in a series of raids by armed police officers across London.nThe men - arrested at about 19:10 BST - are being held on suspicion of the commission, preparation or instigation of acts of terrorism.
Searches are continuing at six addresses and on two vehicles. Whitehall officials said the alleged Jihadist plot was "serious" and intended to use firearms in the UK. But they said it did not appear to be on anything like the scale of earlier major plots, such as the airline liquid bomb plot or the Birmingham rucksack bomb plot, which resulted in convictions.
The men were taken to a south London police station.
Two men, both aged 25, were arrested in a car in Mansell Street, Whitechapel, east London, after police fired "Hatton rounds" - ammunition designed to blow out tyres and blow open doors.
One was a British national of Turkish origin and the second was a British national of Algerian origin, police said.
A 28-year-old British national of Azerbaijani origin was arrested at premises in Westbourne Grove, Bayswater, west London, and the fourth man, a British national of Pakistani origin, aged 29, was arrested in Peckham Hill Street, Peckham, south-east London. bbcnews