XMAS BOMB PLOT
Four held as homes ‘stormed’
POLICE believe they smashed an Islamist Christmas bomb plot yesterday after arresting a terror suspect in a chip shop.
Neighbours were woken by explosions as armed officers stormed addresses in Sheffield and one in Derbyshire.
A 31-year-old man was led away in his underwear after a swoop on a flat above the Mermaid fish shop in Chesterfield.
Three men aged 22, 36, and 41 were arrested at properties in Sheffield.
Surrounding homes were evacuated and schools locked down as the bomb squad moved in to hunt for explosives.
The raids took place on the first anniversary of the Berlin Christmas market massacre which killed 12 and injured dozens more.
Residents in Meersbrook, Sheffield, heard loud bangs at 5.30am as police raided one run-down address.
Joan Miller, 63, said: “I was woken by the explosion.’’
She said police shouted for people to stay in their homes before two van loads of uniformed officers arrived.
Jordan Batteson, who was evacuated from his Chesterfield home during the operation, said he was “shocked and gobsmacked”.
He added: “I saw a male, in his 30s, with no T-shirt on or anything – just shorts or boxer shorts.’’
All four suspects were being quizzed at police stations in West Yorkshire while their homes were searched.