November 4, 2002	Monday	Sha’aban 28,1423

LONDON, Nov 3: Police were on Sunday questioning nine people in connection with an alleged plot to kidnap Victoria Beckham, the former Spice Girl pop star and wife of England football captain David Beckham.

Seven men and two women were arrested Saturday and Sunday in connection with a plot to kidnap the singer, reportedly with a view to demanding a five-million-pound (7.8 million dollar/euro) ransom for her and possibly her two toddler children.

No charges have yet been brought against any of the nine, who are being held in police stations across central London.

Police arrested the alleged kidnap plotters after a tip-off from the News of the World newspaper, whose reporters had infiltrated a gang of Albanians and Romanians, originally to uncover an alleged art theft.

“It’s terrifying to think that someone would want to do that to you and your children,” Victoria Beckham told the paper, published Sunday.

“I’m in absolute and total shock. It’s clear these people were serious and that, of course, has scared the life out of me,” she added.

Following the information from the News of the World, a special kidnap unit on Saturday conducted an armed operation in the Docklands area of east London, where three men were arrested for alleged offences of theft and conspiracy to kidnap, police said.

A further four men and two women were later arrested at separate addresses in south London. Staff from a security firm were Sunday seen taking equipment into the Beckhams’ Hertfordshire home.—AFP