The al-Qa'ida connection

Police killer alleged to be 'key' terror suspect wanted over chemical attack plot

The terror suspect who stabbed to death a police officer in Manchester is alleged to be a "key" al-Qa'ida member who was wanted by MI5 for plotting chemical attacks in Britain.

This emerged as police announced today that a fourth Algerian man had been arrested in the city under anti–terrorist laws.

Greater Manchester Police said that the arrest in north Manchester, where Detective Constable Stephen Oake, aged 40, was stabbed to death in a raid on Tuesday, was not directly linked to the discovery of ricin in a house in London last week.

They said that the man, who was being actively sought by Special Branch officers, had handed himself in at Collyhurst police station in the city.

He was due to be handed over to officers from the anti–terrorist branch of the Metropolitan Police later today.

A police spokesman said: "His arrest is in connection with the nation–wide ongoing investigation into international terrorism."

Three Algerians were held after the death of Det Con Oakes during the raid on a flat in Crumpsall, on Tuesday evening.

Police said the raid was connected to an investigation into an Algerian terrorist network linked to the ricin discovery.

Police have set up an inquiry to examine a series of apparent security and intelligence blunders that led to the murder of Det Con Oake.

DC Oake's widow, Lesley, spoke of her "total devastation" at the death of her husband. The couple had three children, aged 12, 14, and 15. "Steve was the most wonderful father and a fantastic husband to me. He loved us all so much and brought so much joy and fun into our lives," she said.

He was among 24 officers who raided a flat in north Manchester on Tuesday afternoon following an MI5 tip-off that a 23-year-old failed Algerian asylum-seeker with possible terrorist links was hiding in the property.

But to the surprise of the police and security services, the officers also found two other north African men, believed to Algerians, aged 27 and 29.

It was during an hour-long interview that an officer from Scotland Yard's anti-terrorist branch, who was on the raid, concluded that the two men were suspected terrorists. They were believed to be suspects whom MI5 and Scotland Yard had been seeking for some time and who were considered to be significant members of an al-Qa'ida network involved in developing chemical weapons. The 27-year-old is allegedly considered a "key player". They are not thought to be directly involved in the ricin laboratory discovered in a flat in north London at the beginning of the month.

The 27-year-old suspect, who was not handcuffed, is accused of stabbing DC Oake, 40, after he broke free from a uniformed officer and grabbed a knife in the kitchen. Two other officers from Greater Manchester Police's special branch also received stab wounds as they tried to help DC Oake restrain the knifeman.

The three north African men were detained. The 27-year-old is being questioned about the murder, while the 29-year-old has been taken to London to be questioned by anti-terrorist police. The 23-year-old is being held under new anti-terrorism laws and faces deportation. The Home Secretary David Blunkett said his asylum application had been turned down and he had been in the country "on and off for about four years".

Police officers and politicians paid tribute to the dead man. Tony Blair said: "His family has lost a very fine man. The community has lost a very fine police officer."

But the stabbing has raised awkward questions. An internal police inquiry will examine several outstanding issues, including why DC Oake and the other plain-clothes officers were not wearing armoured vests; why the police and MI5 did not know there would be three men in the flat; and crucially why the suspected terrorists were not handcuffed and taken to the security of a police station. The officers appear to have been lulled into a false sense of security while the men were interviewed for more than an hour at the flat, which was searched in vain for traces of the ricin poison. The three suspects were also searched for chemicals, which is when the murder suspect apparently broke free.

John Stalker, the former deputy chief constable of Greater Manchester, commented: "There are two matters that spring out at me. Firstly, was the suspect handcuffed, and was that done properly, and second, why was he at the scene an hour after his arrest."

DC Oake's father, Robin, the former chief constable of the Isle of Man, questioned why his son had not been wearing body armour for a mission which he privately confided last weekend would be a difficult one.

Mike Todd, Chief Constable of the Greater Manchester force, said: "At the moment this is a murder inquiry but we will be looking into the lessons which can be learned from this." He insisted that handcuffing any of the suspects would have impeded their ability to search for evidence.

Mr Todd added: "The Special Branch officers, including Steve, very bravely went to assist their colleagues and that's how he has been fatally stabbed."

Four other officers were injured in the raid. One remained in hospital last night. His condition was described as "comfortable". Mrs Oake, 40, of Poynton, Cheshire, said her husband was a dedicated policeman. "This terrible act has totally devastated our lives, and we are in total shock that someone could do something like this."