Muslim groups in Birmingham called for calm following arrests in the region on January 31st where the Police foiled an alleged plot by a number of individuals to kidnap and execute a Muslim British Soldier.

Local Muslims have been urged not to get involved in any 'backlash' against the police, and not to let community relations suffer because of the high-profile raids. They also appealed for an apology from the police if no charges against the arrested individuals ensued.

In a separate statement by Roy Hattersley (former Labour deputy leader) following the raids, he said “We better have a good reason for the raids”

The politicians ‘war against terror’ provides them “with a special problem which they ignore to their peril.”

“..they have to be sure that they have made the right charges against the right man.”

“Another innocent man dead or another house raided by mistake - no matter how good the intentions - would result in a crisis of confidence in police methods if not police integrity.”

Because of the way the act of being charged under the ‘prevention of terrorism’ legislation works, the arrested individuals were not charged with a specific offence despite the allegations made against them.

Roy Hattersley said, “If the arrested men are never accused of, or charged with that terrible crime, we will be entitled to fear that something is badly wrong - the law, the way the police work or the pressure they are put under by politicians.”

Some Muslims feared the suspected plot had been "overhyped", reflecting scepticism felt by many of Britain's 1.8 million Muslims because of blunders made in similar high-profile raids in the past.

Masoud Shadjareh, chairman of the Islamic Human Rights Commission reiterated these concerns by saying "More often than not they (police raids) end up being nothing, I think they need to put things in perspective."