Three people thought to be animal rights activists have been arrested in Sussex on suspicion of fraud in a nationwide police swoop.
Officers from the National Crime Squad raided a number of homes throughout England yesterday.
Among the 18 people arrested were two women at separate addresses in Brighton and a man in St Leonards.
The action follows a raid two weeks ago when arrests were carried out in Brighton and Haywards Heath. On that occasion all those held were bailed without charge pending further inquiries.
All those arrested are alleged to be involved in swindling tens of thousands of pounds out of the Government's Individual Learning Account programme, set up to encourage people to study outside the education system.
Detectives believe the money was used to gain information on scientists involved in research, to support extremist animal rights activity and to fund activists' lifestyles.
The National Crime Squad said some of the suspects were believed to be "key players" in the world of animal rights extremism.
Neil Giles, Assistant Chief Constable with the National Crime Squad, said: "This action marks a new era by targeting those believed to be some of the key players in the world of animal rights extremism."
Comments: Our rules
We want our comments to be a lively and valuable part of our community - a place where readers can debate and engage with the most important local issues. The ability to comment on our stories is a privilege, not a right, however, and that privilege may be withdrawn if it is abused or misused.
Please report any comments that break our rules.
Read the rules hereComments are closed on this article