LONDON — One of 12 people arrested on suspicion of planning a major terror attack in Britain has been released without charge and was being questioned by immigration authorities, authorities said Saturday.
The unidentified 18-year-old is now in the custody of the U.K. Border Agency, a police spokeswoman said. She said the other 11 suspects arrested in a series of raids in northern England three days ago are still in custody and being questioned.
British officials have not released details about the reported terror plot, but Prime Minister Gordon Brown called it “very big.” Britain’s media have suggested that an attack could have been timed to coincide with the Easter holiday and that pictures of supermarkets were found by police hunting for evidence in the northern cities of Liverpool and Manchester.
Most of those in custody were Pakistanis living in Britain on student visas, and the arrests have roiled relations between Pakistan and Britain. News of the alleged plot also has raised questions about the strength of the U.K.’s immigration system. Opposition leaders are calling for a crackdown on the student visa system, which allows tens of thousands of foreigners into Britain each year.
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