British police averted a disastrous terror attack today, arresting eight Pakistani Muslims and confiscating half a ton of explosive material. You’ll have to really dig in this Reuters release to find out that all the suspects were Muslims; the media continues to treat this obvious connection as if it were sheer coincidence worthy of only a passing mention, every time a terror cell is discovered plotting murder and destruction.

Peter Clarke, head of Britain’s anti-terror branch, told a news conference more than half a ton of ammonium nitrate fertilizer was discovered in a 6-foot-high plastic bag in west London.

“Part of the investigation will focus on the purchase, storage and intended use of that material,” Clarke said.

An anti-terror source said the fertilizer was similar to explosive materials used in the 2002 Bali bombings, although there was no evidence that a bombing was planned or any possible target.

However the source said there was enough material to launch an attack on the same scale as the huge 1996 bombing near Canary Wharf in London’s financial district. Clarke stressed the operation was not linked to investigations into the coordinated train bombings in Madrid on March 11, which killed nearly 200 people or to Irish republican terrorism.

Britain has been on high alert since the September 11, 2001 attacks on the U.S. and, after the Madrid bombings, Britain’s most senior police officer Sir John Stevens warned an attack was inevitable.

Clarke said the eight men, all British and aged between 17 and 32, were arrested on suspicion of preparing to carry out acts of terrorism. They were detained in a series of 24 dawn raids carried out by 700 officers from five police forces and the security services.

“It was the biggest counter-terrorism raid in recent years,” the police source said. He added all the suspects were believed to be Muslim and of Pakistani origin.