British police arrested 10 men on Wednesday in anti-terrorist raids across northwest England.
Greater Manchester Police said the suspects were detained in raids across a wide area including the cities of Manchester and Liverpool.
The force said several addresses were being searched.
Police would not say whether the arrests concerned alleged terrorism in Britain or abroad.
Witnesses told Sky News and the BBC that one of the raids was at Liverpool's John Moores University. Footage recorded on a mobile phone showed armed police standing over a man lying on the floor of a university building.
The British government currently assesses the country's terror threat level as "severe", the second highest of five possible ratings.
Police would not confirm reports by Sky News and others that Wednesday's arrests were brought forward because officers feared details of a secret anti-terrorism operation might leak out.
Britain's top counterterrorism officer, Assistant Commissioner Bob Quick, was photographed entering Prime Minister Gordon Brown's office on Wednesday morning holding a dossier on which details of an ongoing operation were visible.
The Metropolitan Police said Quick had apologised to the chief of the force for the lapse.
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