Colleagues, who worked with the Ukrainian suspect – who was arrested by armed police – on Thursday July 18 whilst working at Delcam told Asian World they were shocked and frightened.
After 1pm on July 18, Small Heath Business Park in Birmingham turned into a scene from a Hollywood action film. The quiet business park tucked away off the main Coventry road was transformed into a major police incident, with armed police rushing into the Delcam building – all roads approaching the building were cordoned off, police vans, five or six police cars and undercover police on the scene and the building evacuated, with a hundred or so employees pouring onto the pavements behind the police cordon on Talbot Way. All of them had to leave the building immediately and majority left without their personal belongings.
Two employees who wish not to be named told Asian World that they worked with one of the suspects – now in police custody – and said how “he was a young, quite Russian guy who kept himself to himself.” The colleagues of the suspect said they were shocked that someone who is alleged of committing such a crime could be working right next to them and they had no idea. They said, “He did not look like the type that would do such a thing, but you just can’t be too careful these days.” They were saddened to learn that they cannot remove their belongings, including their cars to go home.
The 22-year-old Ukrainian who was arrested in connection with devices planted outside mosques in the Black Country is thought to still be police custody.
It was also alleged that explosives and far right wing literature were found during searches conducted after the men were arrested in Talbot Way shortly after 1pm on that day.
The whole police incident caused traffic chaos for motorist as the main dual carriageway into the area the Small Heath highway was cordoned off by police and traffic was diverted onto the Coventry road, both directions, causing long delays and anxious drivers most of whom had no idea why there was so much heavy traffic, which continued up to 8pm.
After the arrest in Small Heath Business Park police confirmed there was not one but two men in custody, one Ukrainian man arrested on suspicion of murdering Birmingham grandfather, Mohammed Saleem, and launching bomb attacks on Midland mosques who had only surprisingly been in the UK for a few months, it is speculated.
The 25-year-old man had already been remanded in custody on suspicion of involvement in a plot to bomb mosques in the Black Country, but was than arrested on Saturday 20th July 2013, on what the West Midlands Police called a “further act of terrorism”.
Five days after the incident in Small Heath Business, park police still have a presence at the building the man was arrested and are still carrying out extensive searches.
Delcam officials have refused to make any comment as yet on the incident involving one of their employees and are supporting the police with their investigations.
By Emb Hashmi
