BRITAIN-ARRESTS
FEBRUARY 15 2009 17:34h
Costa Cruises: We are very sorry and deeply saddened
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Lancashire police said in a statement they were searching five houses in the northwestern town of Burnley after arresting nine men.
Lancashire police said in a statement they were searching five houses in the northwestern town of Burnley after arresting nine men on a motorway near Preston on Friday. Six were released without charge.
The police also seized three vans that were to form part of a 100 vehicle aid convoy headed for Gaza.
"Three vehicles seized as part of the operation are also being searched as a priority in order to release them as soon as possible so they can continue on to their destination," police said.
The convoy had been organised by the pro-Palestinian organisation Viva Palestina and left central London on Saturday, the group's website said.
It has posted a video on the YouTube website showing an assortment of vehicles, including one towing a yacht, leaving London on Saturday.
Volunteers plan to drive 5,000 miles (8,000 km) through France, Spain, Morocco, Algeria, Tunisia, Libya and Egypt where they had hoped to cross the border at Rafah into Gaza on March 2.
The group said the vehicles, which include a fire engine and ambulances, were carrying clothes, blankets and children's toys.
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