The 12 men arrested yesterday across Britain sought to attack holiday shoppers in multi-city, synchronized bombings. The raids marked the first discovery of an alleged terrorist plot by people of Bangladeshi origin, the Independent notes. Bangladesh has become a terror training site since travelers to Pakistan began facing tighter security. The arrests weren’t connected to recent Stockholm bombings or intelligence on planned Mumbai-style attacks, insiders said.
"With the current threat level in the UK at severe and with the information we have, I believe today's arrests were absolutely necessary in order to keep the public safe," said a Scotland Yard authority. (More Britain stories.)