Eight suspected international terrorists have been detained under the British government's controversial new internment powers.
Immigration officers launched raids on a number of addresses in London, Luton and the West Midlands.
Eight foreign nationals were held, two of them in Luton, under the Anti-Terrorism, Crime and Security Act.
The internees, who are all men, are believed to have been taken directly to two high security prisons.
Civil rights groups immediately announced plans to challenge the Home Secretary Mr David Blunkett's internment measures in the British and European courts.
It is the first time the emergency powers to detain foreign nationals have been used since the Act passed on to the statute book last Monday. It is also the first time internment has been used since it was employed in Northern Ireland in the 1970s.
Police refused to give details of the nationalities of those arrested.
PA