LONDON, Nov 17: Three North African Muslim men have been arrested and charged over an alleged plot to release cyanide gas in London’s Underground rail system, British police sources said ON Saturday.

The gang is believed to have links to the Al Qaeda network, Britain’s Sky News reported.

“Three men were charged with offences under the terrorism act this week,” a Home Office spokeswoman said without confirming the widespread reports that the detained men had planned to release cyanide gas into the subway rail system.

Rabah Chekat-Bais, 21, Rabah Kadris in his mid 30s, and Karim Kadouri, 33, were charged with “possession of articles for the preparation, instigation and commission of terrorism acts”, a police source said.

Chekat-Bais appeared before Bow Street Magistrates Court, in central London, last Monday and Kadris and Kadouri, appeared in court on Tuesday.

The three men, all unemployed, were remanded in custody to appear before magistrates again on Monday.

The Sunday Times, which broke the story, said that six North African men had been arrested on Nov 9 by Scotland Yard’s anti-terrorist branch in connection with the plot.

Michael Rufford, the assistant editor of the paper, told Britain’s Sky News: “There were six arrests originally, three people were released, only three were charged.”

“MI5, the security service, believed the gang was planning to bring ingredients for a gas bomb into Britain. Their most likely target was a crowded tube train where the chemicals would be mixed to release toxic fumes, probably cyanide,” The Sunday Times said in its front-page article.

“They (MI5) raided more than half a dozen addresses in north London, some used as drop-ins by Algerian, Moroccan and Tunisian immigrants, and took away items after searches,” the paper said.—AFP