An academic at London Metropolitan University has spoken of his shock at learning that one of his students was among those arrested last week in connection with the alleged plot to blow up passenger jets as they flew over the Atlantic.
The senior lecturer, who did not want to be named, said he had heard that there were occasional tensions between the university's Islamic society and others at the campus, such as when a freshers event was held in a bar a few years ago. But he added that relations were mostly good and that the Islamic society tended to keep a low profile.
He said: "This has come as a shock to us. There is no real awareness of radical Islam at London Met as far as I am concerned. We have large numbers of Asian and Muslim students, and everyone gets on well.
"We are slightly worried that this event will put off potential applicants to the university. That would be a great shame.
"This kind of thing could happen at any university. The fact is there is nothing exceptional about London Metropolitan. It might be that there are just a small number of students with extreme views in a student population of 34,000.
"It would be wrong to assume we are all talking about it, though. I am not convinced this is going to be a topic of much discussion."