THE ENEMY SEES CHRISTMAS A LITTLE DIFFERENTLY – AT 7:35 A.M. ET:  We forget the debt free nations owe to military and police forces, who are on special alert during the holiday season:

British anti-terrorism police said Monday they arrested 12 men in early morning raids on three cities to protect the public amid fears of a holiday season terrorism plot.

Assistant Commissioner John Yates, the U.K. 's lead police officer for counterterrorism, said the suspects were detained in London, in the central English city of Stoke-on-Trent and in Cardiff, Wales.

The arrests follow several weeks of surveillance and are not believed to be linked to other recent plots against Europe or the recent bombing in Sweden.

"The operation is in its early stages so we are unable to go into detail at this time about the suspected offenses," Yates said in a statement. "However, I believe it was necessary at this time to take action in order to ensure public safety."

Police said 11 of the suspects were arrested at or close to their homes at around 5 a.m., while the remaining man was detained at a property in the central England city of Birmingham.

COMMENT:  I wonder what "grievance" the alleged plotters were intent on dealing with. 

This will be an especially tense week for the anti-terror forces.  Remember that Christmas Day, 2009, was marked by an attempt to bring down an airliner over Detroit.

December 20, 2010