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Eight police raids across west London have struck a « massive blow to an established gang », the Metropolitan Police said.

A submachine gun, ammunition, cash and suspected Class A drugs were seized in the raids in Northolt, Greenford, Fulham and Brentford.

Nine people – including a 14-year-old boy – have been held on suspicion of drug and firearms offences.

Det Insp Driss Hayoukane claimed the « MDP » gang had « corrupted children ».

During a search in Stephendale Road, Fulham, officers found a Skorpion submachine gun, along with another handgun, 40 rounds of ammunition, and a kilo of suspected Class A drugs, Scotland Yard said.

Overall, six males and three females, aged between 14 and 49, were arrested in the early hours of Thursday and are now in custody, according to the Met.

The operation was the result of about six months of planning by the Met’s anti-gang Trident unit, the force said.

Metropolitan Police Commissioner Cressida Dick had been on patrol in Hackney on Wednesday evening, where she said gang tensions were high after a spate of stabbings in recent weeks, including the killing of 18-year-old Israel Ogunsola.

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The UK has conducted a « major offensive cyber-campaign » against the Islamic State group, the director of the intelligence agency GCHQ has revealed.

The operation hindered the group’s ability to co-ordinate attacks and suppressed their propaganda, former MI5 agent Jeremy Fleming said. It is the first time the UK has systematically degraded an adversary’s online efforts in a military campaign.

Mr Fleming made the remarks in his first public speech as GCHQ director. « The outcomes of these operations are wide ranging, » he told the Cyber UK conference in Manchester. « In 2017 there were times when Daesh found it almost impossible to spread their hate online, to use their normal channels to spread their rhetoric, or trust their publications. »

Mr Fleming said the cyber-operations had disrupted the group’s online activities and even destroyed equipment and networks. « This campaign shows how targeted and effective offensive cyber can be. »

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US President Donald Trump has tweeted that Russia should « get ready » for missiles to be fired at its ally Syria, in response to an alleged chemical attack near Damascus on Saturday.

« Get ready Russia, because they will be coming, nice and new and ‘smart!' » Mr Trump said in his tweet.

Senior Russian figures have threatened to meet any US strikes with a response.

President Bashar al-Assad’s government denies mounting a chemical attack on the rebel-held town of Douma.

In one his tweets on Wednesday, Mr Trump called the Syrian leader a « gas killing animal ».

In another, he painted a dark picture of US-Russia relations but said it did not have to be that way.

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Intelligence agency GCHQ is to open a new Manchester base to put the city at the « heart of the nation’s security ».

GCHQ said hundreds of new jobs would be created when the new centre opens in 2019. It will work with MI5 and MI6 to fight terrorism, global threats and organised crime, « using cutting-edge technology ».

Director Jeremy Fleming said: « Our new facility will open up a huge new pool of talented, tech savvy recruits vital to our future success. »

Mr Fleming said GCHQ had drawn « strength » from the « resilience » of Manchester after the Arena bombing that killed 22 people.

Salman Abedi, 22, also injured 512 people as he detonated his home-made bomb at the end of the Ariana Grande concert on May 22 last year.

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Former US president Bill Clinton is expected in Northern Ireland to mark the 20th anniversary of the Good Friday Agreement.

A conference will feature key players involved in the deal including ex prime ministers Tony Blair and Bertie Ahern.

Former US Senator George Mitchell, who chaired the talks, will be among the guests in Belfast.

The agreement helped bring an end to 30 years of sectarian conflict, known as the Troubles. It was ratified in a referendum on both sides of the Irish border in May 1998 and set up a power-sharing assembly to govern Northern Ireland by cross-community consent.

However, the deal proved difficult to implement and was amended by the St Andrew’s Agreement in 2006.

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