Arrests Over 'Islamist Plot To Attack UK'

Four men are still being questioned by police investigating an alleged Islamic extremist plot to carry out an attack in the UK, according to Sky sources.

A 27-year-old man was arrested at gunpoint in a car in the street in Southall, west London.

Two other suspects, aged 22 and 25, were detained at addresses in Hounslow and Uxbridge, also in the west of the capital.

The fourth man, 19, was detained at an address in High Wycombe, Buckinghamshire.

Armed police took part in the operations in Southall, Hounslow and High Wycombe but no shots were fired.

The arrests were made on Thursday evening and in the early hours of Friday - just two days before Remembrance Sunday.

Counter-terrorism officers were leading searches of various properties in Hounslow, High Wycombe, Uxbridge, Southall, Greenford and Hayes.

The properties include a terraced house on Desborough Avenue in High Wycombe, Sky's Tom Parmenter reported from the scene.

Parmenter said there was some concern in the community over the arrest of the man in the town and the alleged "disproportionate" use of force by anti-terror police.

Youth worker Saqib Deshmukh, who knows the suspect, told Sky News: "One of the concerns that we heard was that it was a disproportionate use of force and armed response. Did it necessitate that? Was there a need for that to happen?

"Was there an actual threat on the ground? And that's a concern - that the actual number of forces and the level of force used is disproportionate and it doesn't merit it based on the evidence."

Local shopkeeper Sutha Tangaraj works opposite the house and told Sky News he saw the armed police arrive.

"At about 7pm or 7:30pm at least half a dozen armed police surrounded the house, they knocked the door and no one answered.

"A lady in the house eventually opened the door and they went and have since been searching ever since."

He said police were at the same address six months ago.

Mr Tangaraj said the man who lives at the property "is a regular customer and lives in the house with his family - his mother is very chatty".

The four men were all taken to police stations in central London. 

Scotland Yard said the arrests and subsequent searches were part of an "ongoing investigation into Islamist-related terrorism".

Sky's home affairs editor Mark White said: "Scotland Yard are officially giving very little in the way of information on these arrests, but sources are suggesting it is linked to an alleged extremist plot against the UK."

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War Widows To Keep Pensions After Remarrying

War widows will be able to keep their pensions if they remarry under changes to Armed Forces pension schemes to be introduced next year.

Prime Minister David Cameron has announced the changes following a long-running campaign for equal pension rights for partners of those serving in the Armed Forces.

Currently, war widows receiving pensions from schemes in place between 1973 and 2005 lose their entitlements if they co-habit or remarry.

But the new pension arrangements will ensure a spouse or civil partner of all members of the Armed Forces will retain their pension for life if they remarry after April 1 next year.

The scheme is expected to affect some 3,000 widows and cost an estimated £120m over 40 years.

Mr Cameron said it is "absolutely wrong" that under the current system some Armed Forces widows lose their pension if they choose to remarry.

"This means that people, who have made huge sacrifices for our country, have had to make an agonising choice between their financial security or loneliness," he said.

"That's why I was determined to put this right and to respond to the concerns of many who have campaigned for a long time on this issue.

"And I am delighted to announce that we will change the rules to ensure that when our Armed Forces widows find happiness with someone else they can keep their pension for life.

"This reflects our clear commitment to uphold the Armed Forces covenant which we enshrined in law."

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Tasered Man Dies After Valleys Assault Death

A man has died after being shot with a Taser by police at a hotel in the Welsh Valleys - where officers went on to find a woman's body.

Gwent Police say they were called to reports of an assault at the Sirhowy Arms Hotel in Argoed, Blackwood, South Wales, in the early hours.

A spokeswoman said: "A Taser was discharged and a man arrested.

"The woman was located with injuries and was later pronounced deceased.

"While under arrest the man became unresponsive. Officers and paramedics administered first aid, but he also died."

The force said it had referred the incident to the police watchdog, the Independent Police Complaints Commission, which is standard practice when anyone dies while in custody.

The Welsh Ambulance Service said they were called to the hotel at around 1.30am, sending a paramedic in a rapid response vehicle and a crew in an emergency ambulance.

A spokeswoman said: "The man and woman were both pronounced dead at the scene."

The Sirhowy Arms hotel is often used to house homeless people while they wait for council-provided homes.

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Fifty Years Of Drink-Drive Adverts Hit Home

Fifty years of drink-drive messages have dramatically changed the public's attitude, with nearly all drivers saying they would be ashamed to be caught over the limit, according to a survey.

But the Government's THINK! campaign found young people were seven times more likely to think it acceptable than 55-64 year-olds.

Seven percent of 18-24-year-olds said drink-driving was still okay, compared just 1% of their elder peers.

Deaths from drink-driving have fallen dramatically since adverts began

Overall, the poll of 2,000 people found 91% agreed boozing and driving was socially unacceptable, while 92% said they be ashamed to fail a breath test.

The first drink-drive campaign, in 1964, used the setting of an office Christmas party to warn people over getting behind the wheel after drinking alcohol.

Video: Drink-Driving Advert From 1982

Half a century later a new campaign, contrasting the 1980 song Celebration with a dramatic crash scene and its aftermath, is hoping to remind people to never take the risk.

Drink-driving road deaths have fallen from 1,640 in 1967 to 230 in 2012.

But it took a while for it to become a social faux pas.

In 1979, more than half of male drivers admitted drinking and driving on a weekly basis, rising to two thirds for young male drivers.

More than 88% of people now say they would look down on someone who boozes and gets behind the wheel.

Video: Drink-Driving Advert From 1978

Some 45% of people surveyed said they would rather tell their partner they watch pornography regularly than confess to being caught drink-driving.

However, the decline in women drink-driving appears to be slower than in male drivers, according to separate AA research.

It said the number of men failing a breathalyser after an accident had dropped by 17.6% between 2010 and 2013 (2,992 compared to 2,466).

For women the drop was only 5.9% (853 to 803).

Transport Secretary Patrick McLoughlin said: "The change in attitudes to drink-driving over the last 50 years is a huge success story.

Video: Drink-Driving Advert From 1964

"It is hard to imagine now how shocking and ground-breaking the first drink-drive campaigns were when they launched. Clearly THINK! has had a significant impact.

"Most of us understand drink-driving wrecks lives but there is further to go. In 2012, 230 people were killed in drink-driving accidents - 230 too many.

"This makes the THINK! campaign as relevant as ever."

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Henning Murder 'Turned Tide' On IS Recruitment

By Mark White, Home Affairs Correspondent

The beheading by Islamic State of British aid worker Alan Henning may have led to thousands of lives being saved because it has deterred young Muslims from joining the jihad, a member of the government's top anti-radicalisation programme has claimed.

So brutal and callous was the murder of the Salford taxi driver that it has "turned the tide" of British people looking to join the fight in Syria and Iraq, Sky News has been told.  

In an exclusive interview, Sulaimaan Samuel, who works as a National Safeguarding Mentor for Channel, a Home Office scheme to tackle people judged to be at risk of radicalisation, told Sky News that IS propaganda tactics had "backfired".

It is the first time anyone who works as part of the project has given a detailed insight into IS tactics and the threat the group poses online.

Mr Henning was murdered by IS in October

Mr Samuel said the "grotesque" beheading of US journalists James Foley and Steven Sotloff in August and September led the Muslim community to start to seriously question IS.

British aid worker David Haines was also beheaded later that month. But it was the murder of Mr Henning in October that was the "turning point", Mr Samuel said.

Video: IS Propaganda 'Backfiring'

"I would personally say to Alan Henning's family: do not think his death has been some type of waste because it hasn't, because his death at the hands of IS is the very thing that has caused the Muslim community to realise that what IS stands for is wrong and can never be condoned.

"In Alan's death he has managed to save thousands of lives now and in the future of people who might potentially have been drawn into going out. He will be saving lives in the future.

"What IS has done has backfired."

Video: Terrorists Are Embracing The Web

Security Minister James Brokenshire said he believed the relative effectiveness of the terror group's own brutal propaganda machine had opened people's eyes to the true nature of IS.

He said: "I think some of the shocking videos that we have seen, of brutalising murder, has underlined simply what IS is about and why it has prompted British Muslims to go online, post their own videos to underline their absolute abhorrence to this appalling violence and brutality."              

A senior Government security source has also highlighted a "discernible change in attitude" from mainstream Muslim society.

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1. Gallery: Profile: Alan Henning

   Alan Henning, 47, was born in Salford, Greater Manchester. Friends gave him the nickname "gadget" due to his love of technology

He was married for 23 years and he had a teenage son and daughter

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Charles In Plea To Muslims Over Christians

Prince Charles has said Muslim leaders must warn their followers about the "indescribable tragedy" of the persecution of Christians in the Middle East.

The heir to the throne has recorded a video message insisting that faith leaders do not remain "silent" over a lack of respect between traditions.

His comments accompany the publication of a new report which concludes that Christians are the "most persecuted religious minority" in the world.

The report, by a Roman Catholic charity, said Muslim countries dominate the list of places where religious freedom is under threat. 

It argues that extremism has contributed to a decline in religious freedom in the UK and singles out the corrosive influence of Islamic State (IS).

Video: Sept 15: Special Report UK Jihadis

IS fighters pushed Christians out of Mosul, in northern Iraq, in July - ending a presence that began in the early years of Christianity. Shia Muslims and religious minorities have also been targeted by the Sunni Islamist group.

The report by Aid To The Church In Need also highlights the kidnapping of 200 Christian schoolgirls by the Islamist terror group Boko Haram in Nigeria.

In his video message, Charles said: "It is an indescribable tragedy that Christianity is now under such threat in the Middle East - an area where Christians have lived for 2,000 years, and across which Islam spread in 700AD, with people of different faiths living together peaceably for centuries.

"It seems to me that our future as a free society - both here in Britain and throughout the world - depends on recognising the crucial role played by people of faith.

"And, of course, religious faith is all the more convincing to those outside the faith when it is expressed with humility and compassion, giving space to others, whatever their beliefs."

Outlining his own suggestions to improve the situation, he said: "First and foremost, rather than remaining silent, faith leaders have, it seems to me, a responsibility to ensure that people within their own tradition respect people from other faith traditions.

Video: Nov 1: Boko Haram 'Marry Off' Girls

"We have yet to see the full potential of faith communities working together."

The report concludes that Christians are suffering the most widespread persecution but also points out that Muslims are coming under "serious" threat.

Charles said he did not want to be seen as Defender of the Faith, the title held by each monarch since Henry VIII, but as Defender of Faith in general.

But he maintained that this conviction was rooted in his own Christian faith.

"My own Christian faith has enabled me to speak to, and to listen to, people from other traditions, including Islam," he said.

Sky's Ashish Joshi said: "The Prince of Wales is no stranger to controversy - this is a highly unusual intervention.

"To record this video for the Roman Catholic charity (...) that will obviously be received as highly controversial in some areas, in some quarters." 

The Prince's comments came amid news that a Christian couple had been beaten to death in Pakistan after being accused of desecrating the Koran.

The report, launched in the House of Lords, suggested that the last two years had seen a serious decline in religious freedom in many parts of the world.

As well as the persecution of Christians, it also focuses on the plight of Muslim minorities in Iraq and elsewhere in the Middle East as well as Asia.

In particular, it highlights the case of the Rohingya group in Burma, facing official restrictions on the number of children families are allowed.

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Theresa May Tells Abuse Victims: I'm Sorry

Theresa May has apologised to victims of historical child sex abuse after losing a second chair of an official inquiry.

The Home Secretary faced MPs to explain how she would proceed after Fiona Woolf resigned on Friday because of her links to Lord Brittan, who is accused of failing to act on abuse allegations while home secretary in the 1980s.

Mrs Woolf's predecessor, Baroness Butler-Sloss, stood down in similar circumstances in July.

Fiona Woolf, Theresa May, Lord Brittan and Lady Butler-Sloss

Mrs May said she would meet victims next week before deciding on a new chair - and would establish a liaison group.

She told MPs: "Almost four months after I announced my intention to establish a panel inquiry it is obviously very disappointing that we do not yet have a panel chairman and for that I want to tell survivors that I am sorry.

Video: Victims 'Relieved' As Woolf Quits

"I know some of you have questioned the legitimacy of this process. I am listening and to you I say this: I am as determined as you are to get to the truth.

"We have a once in a generation opportunity to do something that is hugely important.

"Together we can expose what has gone wrong in the past, we can prevent it from going wrong in the future.

"We can make sure people who thought they were beyond the reach of the law face justice."

The Home Secretary said the inquiry panel would continue to meet without a replacement chairman - starting next Wednesday.

She admitted that it would not be "straightforward" to find a chair who has both the expertise and no links to past events.

Video: Vaz: Woolf Resignation Embarrassing

But Mrs May added it was still possible to appoint someone who "can win the confidence of survivors".

Significantly, the minister also revealed that a separate report by NSPCC chief Peter Wanless would be made public next week.

Mr Wanless has examined how the Home Office in the 1980s dealt with - and potentially failed to act on - a dossier about alleged abuse.

His report and the official inquiry are looking into potential abuse and cover-ups by politicians and other senior figures between the 1970s and 1990s.

Speaking in the Commons, Mrs May rejected calls to make the probe a statutory inquiry with more formal powers.

Lawyer Alison Millar, head of the abuse team representing some of the victims, said she was disappointed by the decision.

Video: Rantzen Picks Inquiry Chair

She said: "We agree that this inquiry represents a once in a lifetime opportunity and welcome her more consultative approach on the future of the inquiry.

"However, we are disappointed that the Home Secretary will not give the inquiry the statutory powers it needs to compel the production of documents and the attendance of witnesses, as well as to ensure that anyone who gives false evidence will face criminal sanctions."

Shadow home secretary Yvette Cooper welcomed Mrs May's recognition that things had "gone wrong".

"She is right, this is a once in a generation opportunity, but it is too important not just for survivors but also for our children today to make sure this historic opportunity is not lost," said Ms Cooper.

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Lib Dem Minister Quits With Attack On May

Home Office minister Norman Baker has quit the Cabinet - but not without launching an attack on his Conservative boss, Home Secretary Theresa May.

The Lib Dem crime prevention minister is stepping down reportedly after a year of internal battles within the Home Office with Mrs May.

Last week, he became embroiled in a fresh disagreement over drugs policy and accused the Tories of suppressing a report which backed his case for a review of the current law.

He told The Independent the experience of working at the department was like "walking through mud" as he found his plans thwarted by her and her advisers.

Mr Baker said: "They have looked upon it as a Conservative department in a Conservative government, whereas in my view it's a Coalition department in a Coalition government.

Mr Baker accused the Tories of suppressing a drugs report

"That mindset has framed things, which means I have had to work very much harder to get things done even where they are what the Home Secretary agrees with and where it has been helpful for the Government and the department.

"There comes a point when you don't want to carry on walking through mud and you want to release yourself from that."

Video: Oct 30: Baker Denies Row With May

The Lib Dem MP also accused Mrs May of viewing her coalition colleagues as "a cuckoo in the nest rather than part of Government".

In his resignation letter to party leader Nick Clegg, he said: "I regret that in the Home Office, the goodwill to work collegiately to take forward rational evidence-based policy has been in somewhat short supply.

"I have concluded, therefore, that for the time being at least, my time is better spent out of ministerial office.

"You will of course continue to have my full support in the run-up to, and beyond, the next election which I anticipate is likely to produce another hung parliament."

In reply, Mr Clegg said: "Thank you for the brilliant job you have done as a minister over the past four and a half years, first at the Department of Transport and more recently at the Home Office.

"In both posts you have proved yourself as one of the most effective ministers in government: always determined to deliver a more liberal agenda for Britain."

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Alice Gross Memorial: Mother Tells Of Anger

The mother of murdered schoolgirl Alice Gross has spoken of her "outrage and anger" over the killing of her daughter.

Speaking for the first time since the body of the 14-year-old was discovered, Ros Hodgkiss said she had "wracked" her brains for "all the what-ifs" of the day her daughter was killed.

The teenager's parents told the congregation at a public memorial service for the schoolgirl the "future seems bleak without Alice" and it was the support of friends and the community that kept them going.

Alice Gross was a talented singer

The youngster was last seen alive walking along a tow path in west London on August 28.

Police believe she was murdered by convicted killer Arnis Zalkalns, who was pictured on CCTV following her along the path on his bike.

Video: Alice's Mother 'Numbed With Grief'

Hundreds attended the humanist service in Greenford, west London, where two songs recorded by Alice were played – reducing many to tears.

Her mother said: "I have been numbed by shock and grief, I have felt outrage and anger at the loss of her life and unbelievable sadness at the emptiness that has been left.

"I have wracked my brains for all the what ifs of that day, anything that might have stopped this random, incomprehensible tragedy.

"It is even harder to talk about that pain than it is to talk about Alice. I cannot imagine life without Alice."

Video: Family Pays Tribute To Alice Gross

She added: "I think of all the ... hugs, shared jokes, evenings spent snuggled on the sofa, goodnight kisses, the confidence of after-school conversations, Alice playing the piano in her dressing gown (and) singing, shopping, baking, the way Alice still called me 'mummy'.

"The future seems bleak without Alice. It is only the incredible support of family friends and the wider community that has kept us going."

Despite the biggest police search since the aftermath of the July 7 bombings, it was more than a month before Alice's body was found in the River Brent, near where she lived in Hanwell.

Zalkalns, who had previously served seven years for murdering his wife in his native Latvia, was found hanged in nearby Boston Manor Park on October 4.

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1. Gallery: Town Says Final Farewell To Alice Gross

   Mourners light candles in memory of murdered teenager Alice Gross

3. The funeral cortege passes through Hanwell

4. Mourners line the streets to pay their respects

5. Alice's was painted by Nina, Alice's Grandmother, Anne Hodgkiss, and family friend, Carole McCourt

6. Tributes in memory of murdered teenager Alice Gross at Hanwell Clock Tower

7. A family photo shows murdered teenager Alice Gross (centre left) as a child, with her mother Rosalind Hodgkiss (left), father Jose Gross and sister Nina Hodgkiss (right)

8. A number pictures of Alice during her childhood have been released by her family

A Facebook page set up to help find Alice attracted 22,000 followers, while yellow ribbons appeared around the community.

Alice's father, Jose, said: "The response of the community was astonishing.

"I was amazed by how much people were touched by our ongoing tragedy and how much they cared.

"No one could pass through Hanwell and beyond without being aware that Alice was missing and that the community cared.

Video: Difficulties Of Alice Police Search

"When I felt very low the sight of the ribbons lifted my spirits."

The family has asked for donations to Alice's Youth Music Memorial Fund, which will benefit the National Foundation for Youth Music.

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Tornado Tears Off Roofs In Leicestershire Town

By Joe Tidy, Sky News Reporter

Residents of Coalville in Leicestershire have described the moment strong winds hit the town damaging cars, shops and homes.

A mini tornado struck at around 7am on Sunday, with the winds tearing holes into the roofs of dozens of homes.

Councillor Dr Terri Eynon said the tornado lasted for around 15 minutes and said "things were flying everywhere".

She said: "It cut a line through the town centre about half a mile long and there are lots of terraced houses that were damaged.

"We even found someone's Wendy House on a roof almost half a mile away from where it started off."

Part of the roof of a store at the Belvoir Shopping Centre was ripped off, while other images showed fences had collapsed.

Leicestershire Police confirmed high winds at around 7.20am damaged some properties, adding that no one was injured.

A Met Office spokesman said: "The set up was conducive to tornadic activity and we have had some reliable reports today."

Andrew Bridgen, MP for North West Leicestershire, said he was heading to Coalville to inspect the damage.

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Father-Of-Three Shot Dead Tackling Robbers

A father of three young children has been shot and killed as he tackled two robbers who attacked him as he closed up his shop for the night.

Pragaret Singh, 35, was hit in the chest and abdomen as he tried to grapple with one of the men outside his store in Openshaw, Greater Manchester.

The shopkeeper, from Swinton, was just leaving Manchester Food Traders off Wood Street when he encountered the pair and confronted them, detectives said.

Mr Singh, known to family and friends as Charlie, died later in hospital.

His brother Toggy told the Manchester Evening News he was a hard-working family man with a wife, Sukhwinder, and children aged two, five and seven.

He said: "He was robbed of his life. He was happy, jolly and full of life - he never said anything bad about anyone. He was the kind of person who'd go out of his way to help anyone in need."

Detective Superintendent Jon Chadwick said: "Although this investigation remains in its infancy, at this stage we believe Charlie's death was the result of simply trying to protect his business from armed robbers, during which he was shot at least twice."

It is thought that the robbers may have made off with a "large amount of money".

Police arrived at the scene at 6.20pm on Friday and found Mr Singh nearby.

Officers have launched a murder investigation into his death and are appealing to anyone with information to come forward.

One of the assailants was described as black, in his 20s or 30s, with spiky knotted hair, clean shaven, of a tall, slim build and wearing a jacket with the sleeves rolled up.

Police are also appealing to anyone with information about a small silver car, possibly a Vauxhall, which may have been used by the offenders and drove off towards Ashton Old Road after the shooting.

Det Supt Chadwick added: "At this stage of our inquiry we believe this is the tragic death of an innocent businessman and father-of-three who was simply trying to protect his livelihood from criminals.

"As a result, Charlie's entire family have suffered an unimaginable loss.

"Their lives have been shattered and specially-trained officers will be providing as much support as the family need over the coming days and weeks."

:: Anyone with information should call police on 101 or the independent charity Crimestoppers, anonymously, on 0800 555 111.

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Call For More Parents To Adopt Siblings

By Gemma Morris, Sky News Reporter

A shortage of people willing to adopt more than one child means some brothers and sisters are being split up.

Each year in the UK some 6,000 children need adopting and nearly half of them have siblings, according to research by the British Association for Adoption & Fostering (BAAF).

But matching a pair or group of siblings to a new family is not always easy.

John Simmonds, director of policy, research and development for BAAF, told Sky News part of the reason could be that many prospective adopters get used to the idea of raising just one child.

"The expectation is: 'That's what I can manage, that's what I have in mind when I'm thinking about having children of my own'," he said.

Mr Simmonds says many parents are unwilling to take on siblings

He added that apart from cases where placing siblings together is not appropriate, keeping brothers and sisters with each other is important, particularly as many of the children will have had a difficult start to life.

"Someone doesn't want to add to the trauma of separating children from their birth parents to also separate siblings from each other."

Brothers and sisters are also among the children who wait longest to be matched with a family.

During next week's National Adoption Week the BAAF is hoping to encourage more people to consider adopting siblings.

Karen Goodman, a social worker with 30 years' experience in children's services, told Sky News there is a need for as many potential adopters as possible.

"Social workers and the adoption panels will always try to find prospective adopters who can take sibling groups, but it's a challenge and it's a tall order.

Siblings Frasier and Brandon say living alone would have been 'really hard'

"Also boys are harder to place than girls and the older the children are, the harder they are to place."

Civil partners Scott and Tristan Casson-Rennie adopted two young brothers, Frasier and Brandon, seven years ago.

Scott said: "When they came to live with us and we had some tricky times people would say, 'Well wouldn't it have been better if you just had one of them?'... No."

The boys - who have four siblings elsewhere - are now 15 and 16, and told Sky News they were lucky to have been able to stay with each other.

"I was on my own so I didn't have any other siblings around but when Brandon come along I felt happy again. I felt like I can move on with another person beside me."

Brandon said: "I think it would have been really, really hard to live by myself."

Despite some challenges, their parents hope others will consider the positives of adopting siblings.

Tristan said: "We have two amazing boys that have gone on to do some wonderful things in their teenage years and they will go on now to be amazing adults.

"I firmly believe that is a part of keeping them together, so that they can bounce off each other."

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