BEIJING, April 24 (Xinhuanet) -- Six men, including radical Muslim Abu Izzadeen, were arrested Tuesday by British police in pre-dawn, anti-terror raids in and around London.

    "Six men have been arrested under the Terrorism Act 2000 in connection with inciting others to commit acts of terrorism overseas and terrorist fund raising," a Metropolitan Police spokesman said. "A number of searches are ongoing in connection with the investigation.

    The men, aged between 21 and 35, are suspected of inciting terrorism abroad and raising money for terrorists. They are in custody in a central London police station.

    Muslim convert Izzadeen called Home Secretary John Reid "an enemy of Islam" and "a tyrant" when he repeatedly disrupted a speech by the interior minister in east London last September. He is said to be an ex-spokesman for the radical Islamist group Al Ghurabaa, an offshoot of the now disbanded Al Muhajiroun led by radical cleric Omar Bakri Mohammed, both of which are banned in the UK.

    The BBC said it understood the arrests were connected to an alleged incident at a mosque in 2004.

    Former Al Muhajiroun spokesman Anjem Choudhury, also said to be a prominent figure in Al Ghurabaa, confirmed his "close friend" had been arrested.

    "They are saying it is in relation to something around November 2004, allegedly collecting funds for terrorism, inciting terrorism," the scholar said. "People collect a lot of money for orphans and widows at Ramadan, but we know Muslims are guilty until they can prove themselves innocent.

    "All these arrests must be seen in the light of the crusade which the Blair regime has launched against the Muslim community, trying to justify their foreign policy through demonizing Muslims, and targeting ordinary innocent Muslims who have the fortitude to speak up."

    (Agencies)