The men, of Bangladeshi origin and all from London, were arrested on Monday after police officers noticed them behaving suspiciously near the site, including taking photos and video of the plant.
The suspects, all in their 20s, were taken to police custody in Carlisle overnight and were transported to Manchester, police said.
According to British law, the police can arrest anyone on reasonable suspicion of being a terrorist and detain them for 48 hours without charge.
Britain is on high alert because of fears of possible revenge attacks after US special forces killed Al-Qaeda leader Osama bin Laden in a raid in Pakistan on Sunday. Law enforcement sources said that the arrests were the result of a pre-planned operations and are not directly linked to events in Pakistan.
Sellafield is a nuclear processing and former electricity generating site on the coast of the Irish Sea in Cumbria, England.
Sellafield recycles nuclear waste and spent nuclear fuel. The plant, which has repeatedly been the target for anti-nuclear and environmental protests, is under heavy guard.(*)
Editor: Aditia Maruli Radja
Copyright © ANTARA 2011
