Seven people arrested on suspicion of funding terrorism But the authorities in both the United States and Britain have become increasingly concerned over alleged links between the trade in the product and raising terror funds. The arrests, which include a 45-year-old woman and 49-year-old man from Croydon; two men aged 30 and 47 from Brent, North West London; two men aged 42 and 45 from Coventry; and a 40-year-old man from Cardiff, are believed to involve members of Britain's Somali and Yemeni communities. Last month 13 people appeared in court in the United States accused of smuggling khat into the country. One of the defendants who pleaded guilty during that case is understood to have met with officers from Scotland Yard to discuss a British link with the alleged trade. The group are suspected of channelling the proceeds of the alleged smuggling enterprise, to the terrorist groups, al Qaeda in the Arabian Peninsula and Al Shabaab in Somalia. As well as searching residential properties in London, Coventry and Cardiff, counter-terrorist officers have also been at commercial premises in Coventry and an address in Worthing, West Sussex. All of those arrested are all being held at a central London police station on suspicion of being concerned in the funding of a terrorist organisation and laundering the proceeds of crime for that purpose.