This story was found on BBC Devon and came to my attention via the Bristle blog
All five members of a group arrested in connection with an alleged terror plot have been released without charge.
Police say the final member of the five, a 25-year-old man, was freed on Tuesday night.
The man was arrested in Plymouth on 27 March, along with two 20-year-old women, a 19-year-old man and a 16-year-old boy after police found explosives.
Police said investigations were continuing, but those freed were no danger to the public.
‘Firework-like devices’
A search of a Plymouth flat after the arrest of the eldest man led to police finding “political literature”.
After the flat was searched, a number of “firework-like devices” were made safe by Royal Navy bomb disposal experts.
Literature found in the flat was described by officers as political but “not extremist”.
The last activists to be released without charge were freed from police custody on the 9th of April having been arrested under the Terrorism act between the 27th and 29th of March according to the Devon and Cornwall Constbualry. So that means that activists were held for up to up to weeks without charge under terrorism laws before being released on the basis that they had not done anything unlawful.
As ever the BBC seeks to defend the police’s actions, describing fireworks as ‘explosives.’ I hate to think what they would make of my house, where my fire performing housemates have what would undoubtedly be described as ‘a large volume of highly flammable liquids’ alongside my collection of ‘political literature.’ Its quite frightening to think that this combination could land someone in prison, held without charges for two weeks.
The BBC article concludes that ‘Detectives were investigating the possibility they were planning to mount protests in London against last week’s G20 summit of world leaders.’ It appears then that detaining people without charge for two weeks because they have ‘political literature’ and intend to attend protests is now seen as legitimate police tactics in the face of the grave terrorist threat posed by the eclectic mass of dancers, musicians and street performers seen at climate camp last week.
This just adds to the growing list of abuses of power perpetrated by police forces using Terrorism act legislation. At the protests in London police were using Terrorism act laws to force protesters to delete digital photographs and video footage. Given that this kind of citizen journalism has played a major part in highlighting the police’s role in the events surrounding Ian Tomlinson’s death alongside graphic illustrations of riot police callously attacking peaceful protesters with their hands raised chanting peace not riot at climate camp, I’m left wondering how much longer these ridiculous laws can be defended for when they are being used to so clearly to breach innocent people’s rights.
[...] Oh, and of course we have the Plymouth Water Pistol Terrorists who were arrested by a raiding party under “anti-terrorism” laws just before the G20 summit where they were planning to protest. This helped create the national narrative, and then turned into a damp squib when they were released after between 3 and 10 days detention because they had done nothing unlawful. There is a more detailed response to this last case on the Bristle Blog. [...]