COUNTER terrorist led British police are searching an address in Romford in Essex, connected to one of the men who participated in a horrific attack in which a soldier was hacked to death in London.
An off-duty British soldier was hacked to death in south east of the city metres away from his barracks by two men with meat cleavers ranting "we swear by almighty Allah we will never stop fighting you".
In extraordinary broad daylight scenes in Woolwich, in southeast London, the men ran the man down in a car then tried to hack the man’s head off and have their own crime filmed. British media say the victim was wearing a shirt in support of troops when he was killed.
The two men then waited 20 minutes for police to turn up before charging at them with meat cleavers, knives and a hand gun.
The BBC reports similar raids at an address on a housing estate in Greenwich and another property in Lincolnshire.
Neighbours at the Greenwich property told the BBC that two sisters aged in the 30s, an older woman and a teenage boy were taken from the address in a police van.
Police would not comment on reports identifying one of the attackers.
The police investigation into the incident was handed over to the counter terrorism command which was to interview at least one of the men, deemed well enough to be spoken to after having been shot by police, allegedly involved in the attack overnight AEST.
The men are not thought to have had direct links to any terror group, but may have had a loose affiliation.
The victim has not been identified, but his family have been informed, a police spokesman said.
"We believe we know his identity but he has yet to be formally identified. His next of kin have been informed. In line with the wishes of his family we will not be releasing his identity at this stage. A post-mortem examination will take place later today," the spokesperson said.
"The fault lies wholly and exclusively in the warped and deluded mindset of the people who did it," he said.
As a precaution, military personnel were last night issued an edict that they were not to wear their uniforms off base.
Aussie Muslims condemn attack
The peak body for Australian Muslims has condemned as "sick and twisted" the slaying of the soldier on a busy London street by two men shouting Islamist slogans.
In a statement, Muslims Australia president Hafez Kassem condemned the killing as unjustifiable.
"The attack on an unarmed civilian believed to be a member of the British military in Woolwich is a crime that is condemned and deplored by Australian Muslims," Mr Kassem said.