Fourteen men were arrested in anti-terrorism raids in south and east London, police said on Saturday.

"Officers from the Metropolitan Police anti-terrorist branch have arrested 14 men under the Terrorism Act," a London police spokesman said.

The raids had taken place late Friday and early Saturday, according to the spokesman.

The 14 men were being held on suspicion of the commission, preparation or instigation of acts of terrorism, he said.

The spokesman said the arrests were not linked to an alleged plot to bomb trans-Atlantic airliners last month or the 2005 July bombings of London transport network.

Source: Xinhua