A SUSPECTED Islamic extremist was in prison last night after a dawn raid on a house in Cardiff. The man, who has not been named, is due to be deported under special powers used by the Home Secretary, Charles Clarke. Mohammed Javed, chairman of Cardiff's Police Advisory Committee, said the detainee was from Libya.Four other foreign nationals also face being kicked out of the country after immigration officials and anti-terrorist police across the UK swooped yesterday. Three were detained in the West Midlands and one in London using the Home Secretary's power to deport anyone whose presence in the UK is deemed "not conducive to the public good". The Home Office and police refused to name any of the individuals or reveal their nationalities.
A police source said the Cardiff operation was "terrorist related". Officers raided a small terraced house in Thornhill Street, Canton, Cardiff, about 6am. Neighbours said a Muslim family with young children had lived in the house for about a year. One neighbour, who asked not be named, said she saw a woman being led out of the cream-coloured house and into an unmarked car about 8am. A uniformed officer carried one of the children behind her, she said. She watched the raid through her window after waking to the sound of a banging door. "I saw a lady coming out with a little one. She seemed distressed," she said. "A family has been there for a while but I don't think they ever spoke to anyone."
A small crowd gathered in the street as police examined the scene. A green Ford Mondeo, parked outside the house, was loaded onto a recovery vehicle. The house was understood to have received post under several different names. Eileen Stockton, 77, who has lived in the street for more than 50 years, said a man, woman and one or two children moved in about a year ago. A South Wales Police spokesman said, "We can confirm that officers from South Wales Police have this morning, at approximately 6am, supported the Immigration Services as they served notice under the Immigration Act at an address in Cardiff. "One man was detained by Immigration Services."
The raids were the latest step in a crackdown on suspected foreign extremists. Kevin Brennan, the Cardiff West Labour MP whose constituency includes Canton, said, "We have to look very seriously when the police are asking for these powers and my general view is we will need to strengthen the sort of powers that are available in order to help the police do their job. Nobody should be surprised these days that this kind of incident can happen anywhere. All of us these days have to be vigilant."
Mr Javed, who is also chairman of the Muslim Society for Wales, said, "Every community needs to be protected from these people. It's a crime against everybody. But detaining people and deporting people without giving them an opportunity to defend themselves - nobody can support that."
Sheikh Said Ismail, Imam at the South Wales Islamic Centre, in Cardiff, said the extension of anti-terror powers was turning Britain into a "police state". "It has to be proved that he is a terrorist," he said. "If they can do that then, by all means, they are right."
Yesterday's raid in London was low-key and no armed officers were involved. A spokesman for West Midlands Police confirmed raids there had been carried out using warrants issued under the Terrorism Act. A Home Office spokeswoman said, "The Immigration Act 1971 gives powers to deport individuals and to detain them pending deportation. The Immigration Service detained the five foreign males on the basis they will be housed in secure prison service accommodation."