Seven members of the Religion of Peace™ have been arrested in Britain: Seven held in anti-terror raids. (Hat tip: Kalle.)

Seven people are being held following an anti-terrorist police operation across England to target people they suspect of plotting attacks abroad.

The raids, which began at 0300 BST and involved 500 officers, are believed to relate to activities in Iraq. Eighteen properties were raided and nine arrests made, but two people were later released. The police forces involved are Greater Manchester, West Midlands, Cleveland, Metropolitan Police and Merseyside.

The Home Office confirmed five of the seven held were foreign nationals detained under the home secretary’s powers to “deport individuals whose presence in the UK is not conducive to the public good for reasons of national security”. The other two people are being held under the Terrorism Act.

BBC News understands that one of the men arrested in Manchester is Tahir Nasuf, a 44-year-old born in Libya. He moved to Manchester in 1993 and is married with four children.

The offices of a charity he works for - the Sanabel Relief Agency - were also raided in Birmingham.

This leaves only about 693 individuals whose presence is not conducive to the public good.