Lawyers for the two men arrested in Friday's counter-terrorism operation have denied their clients were preparing a chemical bomb attack and insisted they were "completely bewildered" by the raid.

Police were last night questioning Mohammed Abdul Kahar for the first time after he was transferred from the Royal London Hospital to Paddington Green high security police station. Mr Kahar, 23, was shot in the shoulder during the dawn raid on his home in Forest Gate, east London.