British police officer killed, four injured in raid

LONDON -- At least one suspect fatally stabbed a British policeman and wounded four others Tuesday during a raid in northern England linked to the discovery of the poison ricin, officials said.

Three men were arrested in during the Manchester raid, which police described as part of an ongoing operation with Scotland Yard's anti-terrorist police.

Assistant chief constable Alan Green said there was no sign of the deadly poison at the site of the raid, a home in the northern part of the city.

Green told reporters that a team of officers and immigration officials intended to arrest a man under counterterrorism legislation.

Once inside the residence, they found three men of North African origin and were attacked by at least one of them "with a weapon, probably a large knife."

One 40-year-old officer died in hospital after receiving a stab wound to the chest. Another was seriously injured with a stab wound to the chest and three received minor injuries, including stab wounds and a broken ankle.

The National Police Federation said that 55 were killed in the line of duty since 1980. Usually officers do not carry firearms.

Meanwhile, four other men, also described as of North African origin, appeared in a London court Monday charged with chemical weapons and terrorism offenses in the ricin case.