Police officers walk past the Olympic Stadium
Police officers walk past the Olympic StadiumReuters

British police on Thursday charged four people with terrorism offenses following their arrest in operations carried out earlier this month.

The four were arrested during a series of police raids on July 5 and 7. Police said that the arrests were the result of a long-running intelligence operation and were not connected to the upcoming Olympic Games.

Police said three men, Richard Dart, Imran Mahmood and Jahangir Alom, had been charged with travelling to Pakistan for training and preparing attacks, while one woman, Ruksana Begum, had been charged with possessing documents useful to terrorists.

The four lived in various areas of London. They will be formally charged in court on Thursday.

With the Olympic Games due to start in London on July 27, Britain's security threat level is currently set at “substantial”, meaning officials believe there is a strong possibility of a terror attack.

The threat level was reduced from “severe”, meaning an attack is highly likely, in July 2011.