POLICE have been given a second seven-day extension to question a man arrested in Church on suspicion of terrorist offences.

The man, in his early 20s, was detained at his workplace, Express Gifts, last Thursday.

Two other men were arrested at Manchester Airport at the same time. The trio, aged 21, 22 and 23, have not been named but all live in Blackburn.

They are being quizzed under the Terrorism Act of 2006 and police have been carrying out searches in the Whalley Range and Audley Range areas.

Specialist officers from Lancashire Constabulary and the Greater Manchester Coun-ter-Terrorism Unit made the arrests.

But community leaders have been keen to stress that Hyndburn is not a terrorist breeding ground.

Asid Mahmood, chairman of Hyndburn United Muslims (HUM), said: "The case against these three men is only suspicion at this stage.

"The community of Hyndburn would like to make it clear that even though one of them was arrested at Express Gifts, where he works, all three are in fact from the Blackburn area and not from Accrington, as may have been perceived following some news reports.

"We, the Muslim community of Hyndburn, hope that this is not a re-run of the Forest Gate raids as this would not only damage hard-earned community relations but also the lives of those in question."

"HUM would also like to make it clear that the Muslim community and our mosques will continue to work for good community relations and strive to develop an open dialogue with all communities in order to enhance transparency and challenge all misconceptions about Islam and Muslims."

A spokesman for Express Gifts confirmed that a man was arrested at its warehouse in Henry Street last Thursday evening.

Police were given an extra seven days to interview the suspects last Friday and another seven days was granted on Wednesday.

Chief Superintendent Andy Rhodes, head of Eastern Division, said: "Lancashire Constabulary will investigate any information that is passed to us and ensure it is accurate before responding in a proportionate and measured way.

"These arrests and subsequent searches of nearby premises will be conducted with sensitivity and carried out as quickly as possible to ensure minimum impact on the areas concerned.

"However, this type of inquiry can be complex and may take time to resolve."