Two men suspected of being involved in the commission, preparation and instigation of terrorism have been arrested by police in raids in London and Birmingham. A 20-year-old man was arrested in north London and a 21-year-old in south-east Birmingham. Officers from the Met police counter-terrorism command carried out the raids, supported by officers from the West Midlands counter-terrorism unit and the Met’s firearms command. Both men were being held in custody under the Terrorism Act at a police station in south-east London. The raids come as the number of people arrested for terrorism-linked offences rose by more than two-thirds to a record 379 in the 12 months to June - one of the most intense periods for terrorist attacks in recent history.