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UK renews 28-day pre-charge detention rule
London, July 11: British parliamentarians has renewed a law allowing police to detain terrorism suspects for 28 days without charge as the government argued recent suspected plots demonstrated the need for the measure.
The 28-day pre-charge detention period was brought in under the Terrorism Act 2006 but must be renewed annually.
Prime Minister Gordon Brown will continue to consult on whether a longer pre-charge detention period is needed to allow police more time to quiz suspected terrorists, ministers said.
Brown, who took over from Tony Blair on June 27, plans to put forward new anti-terrorism measures later this year.
His predecessor Tony Blair sought in 2005 to increase the pre-charge detention period from 14 days to 90 days, saying the security services needed more time to qu|ssestion suspects.
But ruling Labour Party lawmakers rebelled against the move, dealing Blair the first House of Commons defeat of his premiership. Parliament settled on a compromise of 28 days.
Counter-terrorism minister Tony McNulty told parliament yesterday recent alleged plots in Glasgow, Scotland, and London ''substantiated'' the case for 28 days.
Two car bombs primed to explode in central London and a fuel-laden jeep rammed into a Scottish airport at the end of last month put Britain on high alert.
Civil rights campaigners oppose plans to extend the pre-charge detention period beyond 28 days, as does the opposition Conservative Party.
Brown has said he will seek cross-party consensus on any new anti-terrorism measures.
Two groups were also added to the government's list of banned organisations on Tuesday. They are Tehrik Nefaz-e Shari' at Mohammadi and Jammat-ul Mujahideen Bangladesh.
Reuters
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