Woman shot in London anti-terror police operation

A woman was shot during a police anti-terror raid at a house in Willesden, north-west London, last night.

Police said an "active plot" was foiled when officers raided the Victorian terraced house, reports Sky News.

Five other people - a 16-year-old man, a man and woman both aged 20 and another both aged 28 - were arrested on suspicion of the commission, preparation and instigation of terrorist acts. They are being held at a south London police station, the Met Police said.

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A 43-year-old woman was also detained in a separate raid in Kent.

Scotland Yard said it carried out the series of coordinated raids as part of an ongoing intelligence-led operation.

The shot woman, in her twenties, is in a serious but stable condition in hospital, where she remains under police guard.

It is thought to be the first time a woman has been shot during a counter-terrorism investigation in the UK, says The Times. It is also one of the few times British officers have discharged a weapon while making a terrorist-related arrest.

The London Evening Standard reports that mobile-phone footage shot by a passer-by shows police surrounding a property in Harlesden Road, pointing guns at an upstairs window and shouting: "Move", before battering down the front door.

Local resident Kishan Vekaria told the paper: "I looked outside my window and saw lots of police cars approaching the scene - marked and unmarked cars."

Another neighbour said: "There were bullets and tear gas. They were shooting at the window and then suddenly they went inside and there were more shots inside the house.

"It was so quick. They brought out a young guy straight away. They put white clothes on him, like they didn't want him to get contaminated.

"About ten minutes later two women came out, one of them bleeding. She had an oxygen mask on and was bleeding from the left side, near the kidney."

They added: "They're a nice family, a Muslim family. You never hear anything from them – just, 'Good morning,' 'Good evening,' no more than that."

Police said the operations in London and Kent are not connected to yesterday's arrest near the Houses of Parliament, when a man carrying a bag of knives was detained on suspicion of terror offences.