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2 freed in UK 'kidnap plot case'

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BIRMINGHAM, England (CNN) -- Two men arrested last week in connection with a plot to kidnap and kill a British Muslim soldier were released without charges early Wednesday, police said.

West Midlands police said that seven other men arrested in Birmingham under terrorism laws would remain in custody after a court granted a further 72 hours to question them.

Under British law, police must apply for a magistrate's approval to hold suspects up to 28 days before charging them.

"In all such operations people may be released without charge at this stage, while others may remain in custody for further investigation," West Midlands police said.

Police have said the suspects were planning an "Iraq-style" abduction inside Britain, a senior security source told CNN.

The plot allegedly included the torture and beheading of a British Muslim soldier who had served in Afghanistan.

The British Home Office said the early morning raids throughout central England were part of a "major counterterrorism operation."

Eight people were taken in the January 31 raids. A ninth was detained hours later on a highway in the Birmingham area.

Police said the release of some suspects as normal in a "complex criminal inquiry."

They said a large amount of evidence seized during the January 31 raids in Birmingham that must be analyzed and additional questions asked of those still in custody.

Security services believe a terrorist attack is highly likely in Britain. An attack on London's public transport in 2005 killed 52 people, and the country is on its second highest alert level.

Last year the head of MI5, Britain's domestic spy service, said that about 30 terrorism plots were being worked on and agents were monitoring around 1,600 suspects.

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