Monday, July 11 2005 12:40 Hrs (IST) - World Time -

London: British police arrested three people at London's Heathrow Airport under anti-terrorism laws yesterday (July 10, 2005) but said no link had been established with the underground and bus bombings.

They were the first terrorist-related arrests to be announced since the deadliest peacetime attack in Britain was perpetrated on Thursday, killing about 50 people and injuring some 700.

"Three people have been arrested under the Prevention of Terrorism Act at Heathrow Airport but it is not known at this stage whether those arrests are linked to this inquiry or not," a senior London Police spokesman, Commander Brian Paddick, told a news conference.

"Those people are still being detained."

Paddick warned against linking the suspects to the attacks. "I am told that it is inappropriate and pure speculation at this stage to be drawing any direct linkages with the attacks in London and at this stage we are not in a position to give any further information."

"But people are arrested under the prevention of terrorism act very, very frequently. It happens on a weekly basis and it's happened again at this time," said Andy Trotter, Deputy Chief Constable of London Transport Police.

Britain's Press Association said the men were three British nationals who had been detained as they arrived from abroad, but it quoted sources as saying they were not being linked to the bombings.

Police said they had received valuable information from the public, who had flooded a tip-off line with 1,700 calls.