Date: 18 January 2008

From: Western Animal Rights Network (myspace.com/warn_animal_liberation)

Tom and Nikki from SARC and Sarah Whitehead were raided this morning and are currently still in custody at Gosport police station the raids were co-ordinated by NETCU under Operation "ACHILLES"+.

All campaign materials, clothes, personal items, cars, computer equipment have been taken in the raids to try and stop the lawful right to protest.

Please take them some vegan food if you can to Gosport police station and make a donation to SARC to help them get back on their feet when they are released.

http://www.sarconline.co.uk/donate

More information when we have it.

Cheers

WARN

http://www.animalliberation.co.uk

Three arrested as part of ongoing animal extremism investigation

Police have today arrested three people in the latest stage of an ongoing operation targeting animal rights extremism across the UK.

Warrants were executed at two addresses this morning, one at Gosport in Hampshire, and at Littlehampton in Sussex.

A 24-year-old man and a 26-year-old woman were arrested at a house in Alver Road, Gosport. They have been taken into custody at a police station in Hampshire.

A 50-year-old woman was arrested at a house in Thorncroft Road, Littlehampton. She has been taken into custody at a police station in Sussex.

Searches of both properties are ongoing.

The arrests today are the latest phase of Operation Achilles, a regional police operation, and involved officers from Kent, Sussex, Hampshire, Thames Valley and Surrey.

Background information

Operation Achilles is a regional operation led by the five police forces in the South East Region and supported by other UK police forces.

On the 1st May 2007 police arrested 32 people after executing warrants to enter and search premises in Berkshire, Hampshire, Surrey, Sussex, Kent, Glasgow, Greater London, Merseyside, Worcestershire, Lancashire, Northumbria, Yorkshire, South Wales, Belgium and the Netherlands.

To date, 16 have been charged. Six remain on bail. All charges relate to the group Stop Huntingdon Animal Cruelty (SHAC). Ten have been charged with conspiracy to blackmail Huntingdon Life Sciences; two have been charged with blackmail and malicious communications; three have been charged with burglary and handling in relation to a stolen dog; and one has been charged with theft from his employee in relation to documents he is alleged to have passed to SHAC.