Man charged with terror offences after being stopped at Luton Airport

‘The terrorist threat level remains at substantial,’ says police chief

The man was arrested at Luton Airport (Getty Images)

Terrorism police have arrested a man who was arriving in Britain on suspicion of being a member of the banned militant “Tamil Tigers” organisation.

Officers from the Counter Terrorism Command of the Metropolitan Police arrested the man, in his 30s, after he arrived at Luton Airport.

The suspect was initially stopped by officers under the Terrorism Act 2000 on Tuesday, the Met has revealed.

He was arrested on suspicion of being a member of the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE), more widely known as the Tamil Tigers, and also on suspicion of supporting a proscribed organisation.

The man was taken to a local police station, where he was later released under investigation.

Founded in 1976, the guerrilla organisation fought for the creation of an independent Tamil state in northern and eastern Sri Lanka, claiming the Tamils were persecuted by the Sinhalese-dominated Sri Lankan government.

Their brutal tactics sparked the country’s civil war, which lasted from 1983 to 2009, during which it’s estimated at least 100,000 people were killed, of which many were Sri Lankan Tamils.

Thousands of others went missing before the Tamil Tigers were defeated by the country’s army in 2009.

The EU listed the group as a terrorist organisation in 2006.

Commander Richard Smith, head of the Met’s Counter Terrorism Command, said: “Across the UK, there is a network of counter-terrorism officers working at our ports and borders.

“Officers work closely with colleagues from the UK Border Force and other partners to help keep the public safe from any potential terrorist threats.

“The support of the public is also vital and as the terrorist threat level remains at substantial.

“I would ask the public to continue to be vigilant and if you see or hear anything that doesn’t look right, please report it to us.”